Brigid of the People: Part I
La Feile Bride! Happy St. Brigid's Day....
Imbolc, as the Feast of Saint Brigid is known, is one of the four major "Fire" Festivals on the old Irish Calendar and pre-dates Christianity itself. For before Saint Brigid was a saint with a 'perpetual flame,' she was a fire goddess.
If you're heard a lot about Brigid(Bridget) and she sounds like Wonderwoman herself, there's good reason! A lot of confusion stems from the fact that the root of the word Brigid comes from the word 'Brig' which means 'Exalted One' or 'High One.' It's a title moreso than a name and it wasn't exclusive to Ireland; like the 'Bridgit' the first knights of chivalry chose as their patroness and named their 'brides' after!
When I think of Brigid (Bridgit), I think of three figures; the goddess, who is an amalgamation of several goddess figures from all over the Celtic world (i.e. Celtic countries and Northern Britain), the Saint - who has been greatly mythologized - and the Brigid of folklore, a loving figure, who became woven into the lives of everyday people. This is the Brigid I would most like to share with you. Her other aspects have been covered beautifully elsewhere....
A few to get us started thought:
Bridget’s Perpetual Flame:
It is said that her flame was kept alight for over a thousand years but was extinguished during the time of Cromwell. It was relit in the 1970's and has reminded burning ever since in Kildare, the city that was built around the great Abbey she founded in County Kildare. After her death, as was her wish, the fire by her Abbey wall was tended only by women.
Brigid: Protector of Animals
Like all the Irish Fire Festivals, hers is celebrated in the heart of the season on February 1st. Since it was the time for the birthing of lambs and domestic animals, it marked the rebirth of the agricultural year. Saint Brigid was seen as protector of domestic animals.
Brigid: Everyday Concerns
And here's where she gets really interesting.... This was a woman who walked beside you through your day, helped watch over your livestock, feed your children and aided with issues around fertility.
While all aspired to be like Mary and it was she who has suffered the very greatest of looses – loosing a child; However, if you needed a strong presence to get you through the day - Bridget was your woman! Her concerns reflected the concerns of everyday women. And for all that, she was beloved.
The thing you have to remember about Christianity in Ireland is that for much of its life, it was cut off from Rome, not just from the leadership, but forbidden as a practice. It was driven completely underground. The result? A type of contemplative, ritualized, drawing-in of the sacred into every-day life; And no where was this more evident that in invoking the blessings of Brigid.
It began in the morning when the house was blessed:
Brighid of the Mantle, encompass us,
Lady of the Lambs, protect us,
Keeper of the Hearth, kindle us,
Beneath your mantle gather us,
And restore us to memory.
And ended at night when the fire was 'smoored.' The 'smooring' of the fire was a lovely ritual. The dying embers were covered with the ashes so as to conserve energy, but yet not quench the fire so it could easily be rekindled the next morning. Some houses had kept their fires 'alive' literally for years - an art in itself. While the woman of the house smoored the fire, she would recite one of many "Bridget Charms"
I rake this fire like everyone else
Bridgit below it with Mary on top
Twelve angels of the angels of the ages
Protecting my house till dawn
Brigid loomed very large. Few people realize that she is one of the three patron saints of Ireland. In fairness, St. Colmchille doesn’t get much of a look in either! St. Patrick seems to get all the press these days! There are many townlands that boast a “Brigid’s Well” and many still believe in their curative powers. If you visit one of these wells, don’t be surprised to see small tokens of appreciation and thanks left in her honor. To this day, people still harbor a deep affection for this woman, if only because of their own mother’s or grandmother’s love for her.
She is still a very real presence on the land. This is no mere figure of the imagination or history. These tokens attest to her ongoing embodiment of the divine feminine in the hearts of women who come from all over the world to her holy shrines. She lives on.
La Feile Bride! Happy St. Brigid's Day....