St. Brigid's Day in Ireland: Crosses, Celts, and Cars

When I studied abroad in Ireland, one of my best friends was a middle aged woman from my internship. This woman would pick me up in her rusty van and drive me a couple towns over to work a couple days a week. On February 2nd, 2017, I got into her van and quickly noticed the oddly shaped cross hanging from her mirror. I admired the detailed pattern of the woven rushes, still green. I asked my friend about it.

“My younger daughter made that in school,” she told me. “Hopefully it’ll protect this car from falling apart!”

St. Brigid’s Day is February 1st. The spiral cross I saw in my friend’s car is known as a St. Brigid’s Cross. This cross is traditionally known as a symbol of protection for the home, and was meant to be hung above the door to bring peace and harmony. In the modern era, it is common to find the crosses in other places; as my friend joked, the cross can even protect a rusty car!

If you would like to hang a St. Brigid’s Cross in your home (or car), Biddy Murphy carries plenty of options! My favorite is this beautifully crafted cross from Wild Goose Studios!

The cross is traditionally woven from rushes easily located along the rivers and bogs of Ireland. Green when woven, the cross will eventually dry out and turn a straw color, still maintaining its shape. The crosses were often woven by children. In modern Ireland, that means they are crafted in schools. (Although the American students I studied abroad with also had some fun making St. Brigid’s Crosses on our own time to hang in our cottages for the duration of our stay!) If you want a more traditional St. Brigid’s Cross, check out this hand-woven cross.

The story of St. Brigid’s Cross illustrates Brigid’s patience and kindness. When visiting a dying pagan chief, St. Brigid began picking rushes from the floor matt and weaving them into a cross. The chief asked what Brigid was doing, and she explained the meaning behind the cross in her hands. He converted to Christianity on his deathbed, all thanks to St. Brigid’s quiet concentration on her craft.

St. Brigid one of the patron saints of Ireland, along with St. Patrick and St. Columbcille. She is also associated with fertility and farming. She lived to the age of seventy-five, and was buried close to the other saints in Co.Downpatrick. Her celebration is commonly practiced in the Celtic world of Scotland and Ireland, but reaches as far away as Australia and the United States.

St. Brigid’s Day also overlaps with festival of Imbolc. Imbolc takes place halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox, and is generally marked as the beginning of spring. St. Brigid herself is named after a Celtic mother goddess. Brigid the goddess is associated with the spring, poetry, arts and crafts, fertility, healing, medicine, and smithing.

As a poet, passionate crafter, child of springtime, and lover of vegetables, I find St. Brigid and her ancient Celt counterpart to be interesting and inspiring. I certainly hold her in my heart every February 1st! If you want to keep St. Brigid close to your heart, or protect a loved one with her spirit, check out our St. Brigid’s Cross necklaces! They make a great gift for any daughter of the springtime!

  Silver Cross                       Marble Cross.                   Gold Cross. 

I hope you enjoyed reading! Are there any more Irish figures, legends, places, or myths you would like me to write about? Leave a comment below!

If you would like to learn more about St. Brigid, watch this video from Wild Goose Studios, one of our suppliers.