We have all surely had our fill of dark mornings, inclement weather and the general drudgery of January. But hope is on the horizon. February has arrived. The snowdrops are poking their heads through the soil, spring is around the corner, and – joy of joys! – the respite of a bank holiday weekend awaits
Finally, we have a festival that honours a woman – and indeed, an Irish person. And of all the gifts that Ireland’s female patron saint and revered goddess has bestowed upon us, the day off work is absolutely the least significant. At a time when darkness, division and fear threaten to overwhelm our collective psyche, the values embodied by Brigid represent a beacon of light and hope that might guide us towards a brighter, better future.
So, who was Brigid? Well, the history is murky, but she was apparently born in the fifth century at dawn, in the dew, to a royal father and a slave mother (news to the king’s wife) and settled in Kildare. Legend has it she was raised in the Druidic tradition but was converted to Christianity by St Patrick and founded a monastic order, lending her the advantage of having a distinct appeal to both Christians and non-Christians.
She is said to have died on February 1, traditionally known as Imbolc, the first day of spring. Imbolc means ‘in the belly’ and ‘first milk’, referring to new life in the belly of Mother Earth, and mother’s milk, which sustains new life.
Very few women in history have been ascribed so many talents as Brigid. A goddess of the fabled Tuatha Dé Danann, the Gaelic gods, she is known as a poet, a peacemaker, a healer, a midwife and a blacksmith. Like many goddesses, she was associated with the elements of fire and water, and is closely associated with the sun, having the ability to hang her famous cloak off a sunbeam. She is also associated in various texts with snakes, fertility, cows, beer and milk.
On the eve of Imbolc, Brigid visited the homes of the virtuous to bless them and to mark the arrival of spring. Families would leave food and drink to sustain her on her journey and create beds of rushes so she could rest. In turn, Brigid would bless items of clothing, or strips of fabric – the ‘Bhrat Bhríde’ – hung out to collect the morning dew with healing properties that would protect the wearer. Upon her arrival, householders would weave crosses from rushes, that would then hang until the next Imbolc.
Brigid was vengeful, too, in the name of justice. When a leper she cured refused to help another, she inflicted a relapse. When a wealthy woman objected to her gift of apples being distributed to the poor, she found her orchard cursed.
In the Church, in contrast to today’s clerical hierarchy, she is said to have been a powerful bishop. As we know, many pagan traditions were appropriated by the Church, and indeed, in more recent centuries, the promotion of the submissive Virgin Mary was probably a deliberate attempt to suppress the influence of the strong, rebellious St Brigid and her associations with fertility, creativity and female power. But in the modern era, Brigid – saint, goddess, abbess or druid, the ‘exalted one’ – transcends religion. Today, her legacy is more relevant than ever.
As capitalism and poor wealth distribution increases societal inequity, we remember her sacred belief that the goods of this world were made to be shared. When Conleth, a nearby hermit brought a set of costly vestments from the Continent, Brigid confiscated them and cut them up to give strips of cloth to the poor.
Brigid’s mixed family background means she stands as a sister to all, regardless of class, ethnicity or religious affiliation, something we would do well to remember when we line up to protest and burn accommodation for those seeking refuge here.
As the planet burns, we remember Brigid’s devotion to nature, regeneration and reverence for the land.
As women’s bodily autonomy is threatened, we remember how Brigid rescued a woman from an unwanted pregnancy, and another from a life of forced sex slavery. Reminiscent of Erris’s St Deirbhile, she is also said to have plucked out her eye to repel an unwanted suitor and avert a forced marriage.
As a genocide takes place before our eyes in the Middle East, we remember how Brigid disrupted war by making clouds descend between opposing sides in battle to prevent bloodshed. Along with her nuns, who ‘turned back the streams of war’, she intervened in the battlefield and rendered warriors unable to fight, and is said to have bestowed sweet dreams upon them so that when they awoke up without anger, they abandoned the battle.
As the arts are starved of resources, we remember Brigid’s talent and devotion to creativity.
St Brigid’s Day and Imbolc offer an opportunity to celebrate rebirth, regeneration and the powerful role and potential of women in society. They remind us of the hope of spring and new life and opportunity. And they offer us the timely chance, on our day off work, to reflect on the progressiveness and decency of our shared values as a country.
OPINION: Be like Brigid – today, her legacy is more relevant than ever
7
19
01.02.2024
We have all surely had our fill of dark mornings, inclement weather and the general drudgery of January. But hope is on the horizon. February has arrived. The snowdrops are poking their heads through the soil, spring is around the corner, and – joy of joys! – the respite of a bank holiday weekend awaits
Finally, we have a festival that honours a woman – and indeed, an Irish person. And of all the gifts that Ireland’s female patron saint and revered goddess has bestowed upon us, the day off work is absolutely the least significant. At a time when darkness, division and fear threaten to overwhelm our collective psyche, the values embodied by Brigid represent a beacon of light and hope that might guide us towards a brighter, better future.
So, who was Brigid? Well, the history is murky, but she was apparently born in the fifth century at dawn, in the dew, to a royal father and a slave mother (news to the king’s wife) and settled in Kildare. Legend has it she was raised in the Druidic tradition but was converted to Christianity by St Patrick and founded a monastic order, lending her the advantage of having a distinct appeal to both Christians and non-Christians.
She is said to have died on February 1, traditionally known as Imbolc, the first day........
© The Mayo News
visit website
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Andrew Mitrovica
Mort Laitner
Nikkei Editorial
Rami G Khouri
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
