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How a 5th century saint from Ireland is celebrated today
Saint Brigid's Day is celebrated on 1 February, and has been marked in Ireland for many years. Saint Brigid is the only female among Ireland's three patron saints. She is also a patron saint of healers, poets, beer, blacksmiths and dairy workers, as well as a figure associated with creativity and womanhood.
Let's look at the life of Saint Brigid and find out the traditions that celebrate her life and legacy.
Who was Saint Brigid?
Brigid has been many things to many people - the accounts of her early life are debated in many differing biographies, myths and legends.
In general, it's agreed that she was born in the 5th century. She is said to be the daughter of a chieftain and an enslaved woman who had been baptised by Saint Patrick.
Some biographies say that she spent her youth as a farm worker. For the first eighteen years of her life, Brigid was an enslaved worker alongside her mother. Already in her youth, she is credited as having performed some miracles.
Brigid also shares her name with a Celtic goddess of pre-Christian Ireland. This deity was a goddess of inspiration, creativity, the arts, childbirth, and healing. There is some speculation over whether the 5th century Brigid existed at all, with theories that she was invented to Christianise the old Celtic goddess, while others suggesting she was simply named after her.
What were Saint Brigid's religious achievements?
Around 480, Brigid founded a monastery at Kildare. This is a site that is now a town to the west of Dublin (though that city was not founded until a few centuries later).
The monastery was founded on the site of a shrine to the Celtic goddess Brigid, under a large oak tree. In Irish, Kildare is Cill Dhara, which translates as 'the church of the oak'.
Along with a group of seven companions, Brigid developed the site at Kildare. She is often credited as founding a convent, which was the first communal consecrated religious site for women in Ireland.
Over the years, Brigid's site in Kildare became a centre of religion and learning, and Kildare developed into a cathedral city.
She is said to have founded a school of art, which produced manuscripts, metalwork and more.
Biographers write of Brigid's travels across Ireland and to sites in England.
Many miracles are attributed to her, often around healing and charitable acts to deserving people. One miracle says that she transformed a lake into beer to serve a leper colony which had run out of beer. Her prayers were said to calm winds and stop rain.
How is Saint Brigid's Day celebrated?
Brigid is believed to have died on 1 February 525. This day is now celebrated as Saint Brigid's Day - the first mention of this was in the 7th century. It was also the date of Imbolc, a pre-Christian seasonal festival which marked the beginning of spring.
Many traditions have developed around Saint Brigid's Day.
In Kildare, a sacred fire was said to burn continuously in Saint Brigid's honour. The original flame extinguished in the 16th century. A more modern tradition inspired by this ancient custom has emerged. In 1993, a flame was lit again. Each year since, people come to take a flame back to their communities - representing the light and warmth of Saint Brigid spreading throughout the country.
People often celebrate Brigid by participating in creative activities, music, storytelling and artistic expressions that pay homage to her creative spirit.
In some parts of Ireland, there have been parades dedicated to Biddy (Saint Brigid), which can include making and carrying Saint Brigid's Crosses.
What is the Saint Brigid's Cross?
The Saint Brigid's Cross is the symbol most associated with Saint Brigid.
Traditionally made from rushes or straw, it is woven into a distinctive four-armed design - though there are many regional variations.
The cross is believed to protect homes from harm and evil spirits. Many households in Ireland still craft and hang Saint Brigid's Crosses on the eve of her feast day to bless their homes. It was common to give a St Brigid’s Cross as a gift to newlyweds and those buying a new home, to offer protection and to wish the couple well in starting a family.
Celebrating Saint Brigid today
Today, many churches are dedicated to Saint Brigid as well as Saint Bride, a shortened and Anglicised form of her name. Placenames, including East Kilbride, Rathbride and more, take their name from Saint Brigid.
In 2023, the first Monday in February became a public holiday in Ireland to honour Saint Brigid. It is the first Irish public holiday named after a woman. Many festivals and organisations take the opportunity on this holiday to celebrate women's achievements and creativity.