Ireland’s newest bank holiday is upon us, and more importantly, it coincides with the end of January. Finally.
When is St Brigid’s Day?
February 1st.
When did it become a bank holiday?
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St Brigid’s Day has been a bank holiday since 2023.
Who was St Brigid?
Which one? There are two, kind of.
St Brigid of Kildare is one of Ireland’s three national saints, with Patrick and Columba. While the date of her birth is uncertain, she supposedly died around the year 524 AD on February 1st.
There is also a goddess Brigid. Brigid in pagan Ireland was a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, “folk of the goddess Danu”, who were a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Brigid the pagan goddess’s feast is Imbolc, marking the beginning of spring in February.
Why do we celebrate St Brigid’s Day?
Although meteorologists might say otherwise, in the pagan tradition Imbolc is the start of spring, marking the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.
As a result, we get a two-for-one feast day acknowledging both a pagan goddess and a Christian saint on February 1st.
Was she a real person?
Brigid the goddess, no; but Brigid of Kildare? The short answer is, yes. Probably. The earliest surviving written record about St Brigid was penned by a monk called Cogitosus who wrote a Latin Life of St Brigit around 650.
Another substantial piece of evidence that Brigid was real is that there was a monastery in Kildare founded by a woman in the 5th century. The monastery was destroyed in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 19th century where Kildare Cathedral now sits. No portion of the original church remains except for the round tower.
What miracles are attributed to her?
The most famous miracle attributed to Brigid is how she asked the King of Leinster for land to build a convent. After the king said no, she asked if she could be given as much land as her cloak could cover. He obliged.
She took off her cloak and instructed four followers to grab a corner each and walk in opposite directions until the cloak covered a site of several acres.
Another story goes that Brigid gouged her eyes out to avoid being married off after promising a life of chastity to God. Her eyesight was restored upon her ordination.
It is also said that St Brigid delivered a distressed woman from an unwanted pregnancy.
Our patroness saint is also alleged to have turned water into beer.
[ Celebrate St Brigid with boxty and sconesOpens in new window ]
What traditions are there surrounding St Brigid’s Day?
Cross-making using rushes is one of the most popular ways to celebrate Brigid. It is speculated that the Brigid’s cross was designed by the saint to teach pagans about Christianity, like St Patrick used the shamrock to teach the hold trinity.
Brigid’s crosses would be hung above doors or over entryways of buildings, for the blessing and protection of the saint.
Another tradition is the Biddy Boys parades. The Biddy Boys would dress in straw costumes, play music and go around collecting money. It was rumoured that bad luck would befall those who refused them a donation.
They carried a small straw doll clad in white, known as a brideóg, a traditional doll made from rushes of the saint.
Some places still celebrate Biddy’s day, such as Kilorglin where the town runs a three-day Mid Kerry Biddy’s Day Festival.
