Brigid , the goddess

How to recognise Brigid , the goddess

1. Red or golden hairLook for a woman with long red, copper or golden hair, loose or in a plain braid; this comes from modern devotional and artistic depictions, as early texts do not describe her appearance.
2. White mantleA long white or cream cloak is the brat Bríde, 'Brigid's cloak', recalling the cloth left out on St Brigid's Eve for her blessing and the Scottish epithet Brìghde nam Brat Ban, 'Brigid of the White Mantle'.
3. Steady flameA held torch, a little lamp, a candle or a flame above her palm stands for the poet's inspiration, the hearth and the forge, and recalls the flame at Kildare.
4. Rush crossBrigid's cross is woven from pulled rushes, usually with four equal arms around a small woven square with bound ends, and is hung over the door or in the rafters; written records of making it begin in the 17th century.
5. Tools of her craftsA small harp, an anvil and hammer, or healing herbs may appear for poetry, smithcraft and healing; these come from modern depictions, while a slender peeled white wand (slatag Bríde) is attested in Scottish Gaelic custom.
6. White cow, well or lambA single small companion, such as a white cow (her best-known animal), a ewe or lamb at Imbolc, or a spring or well, points to her care for cattle, the first days of spring and the holy wells linked with her.
7. Calm, radiant bearingShe looks warm and inspired, with a steady gaze, a goddess of thresholds and beginnings who is never shown as a warrior or carrying a weapon.

Names and titles

• The Exalted OneThe meaning of her name, from a Proto-Celtic root for 'exalted' or 'high'
• The Goddess Whom Poets AdoredHow Cormac's Glossary describes Brigit the poetess
• Brigid of the White MantleBrìghde nam Brat Ban, the Scottish Gaelic epithet
• Keeper of the FlameThe Kildare perpetual flame was tended for centuries and relit in 1993
• A Cloth Left Out for BrigidOn St Brigid's Eve a cloth was left outside to be blessed as she passed (the brat Bríde)

Feast days

• St Brigid's Eve (Oíche Fhéile Bríde)31 January, every year

  The evening before Brigid's day. In Irish tradition, households prepared to welcome Brigid, honoured as saint and, by many, as goddess. They sought her blessing on the home, the animals and the year ahead.

  How it's celebrated. Rushes were pulled by hand rather than cut, then woven into crosses. The crosses were blessed and hung over doors, in byres or by the hearth. A cloth, the brat Bríde, was left outside overnight to receive Brigid's blessing, and was later used in healing. Details vary from county to county. The earliest written record of the crosses dates from the seventeenth century.

  Sources: Ulster Folk Museum: St. Brigid's Day · Brigit's Garden: Brigit Day Customs · Ireland's National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage: Weaving of a St. Brigid's Cross

• Imbolc and Lá Fhéile Bríde (St Brigid's Day)1 February, every year

  The Gaelic festival that opens spring, about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It is linked with lambing and returning light. It is the feast of Saint Brigid, and many also honour the goddess Brigid on it. Scotland keeps it as Là Fhèill Brìghde.

  How it's celebrated. Customs recorded in Ireland and Scotland include making Brigid's crosses, and brídeógs (dolls of rushes dressed in cloth) carried from house to house. People also visit holy wells, share a feast and attend church services. Pagan and polytheist devotees keep the day as well. In Scottish tradition, people read the weather. Foul weather was welcomed as a sign that the winter hag, the Cailleach, was running short of firewood.

  Sources: Wikipedia: Imbolc · New World Encyclopedia: Imbolc · Wikipedia: Cailleach

• St Brigid's Day public holiday1 February 2027

  Ireland's national public holiday for St Brigid's Day, in place since 2023. It is taken on the first Monday in February, or on 1 February itself when that is a Friday. It is the same celebration as Imbolc and Lá Fhéile Bríde.

  How it's celebrated. The holiday is marked with festivals, events, talks and workshops, and Irish communities abroad are encouraged to join in, though it is a holiday only in Ireland. Many families and schoolchildren still weave rush crosses. Because of the Monday rule, the holiday can fall a few days after 1 February, the traditional feast day.

  Sources: Citizens Information: Public holidays · Wikipedia: Public holidays in Ireland · Life in Ireland: Saint Brigid's Day / Imbolc in Ireland