St Brigid
February 1st

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This is the story of woman called Brigid. At the time of the Celts in Ireland, she was known as the Goddess.

There are many legends about her life. There are also many different spellings of her name: Brigid, Brigit, Bríd, Bridget and Bride.
Brigit the Goddess:

At the time of the Celts in Ireland, the people believed in gods and goddesses. In those times, the most powerful goddess was Brigit and she was very much loved by the people. The goddesses were associated with fire but Brigit was also known as a sun goddess.

Her feast day is on the first of February, one of the important feasts of the Celtic year.
Brigid the Saint

When Christianity came to Ireland in the 5th century, the Celtic people began to believe in just one God. These people loved Brigit so much, that they did not want to lose her as a goddess. So that she would become part of Christianity, she was called one of the three patron saints of Ireland.
One story was, that while she was talking to St. Brendan, she took off her cloak and hung it on a sunbeam. When St. Brendan tried to do the same his cloak fell to the ground.
St. Brigid’s Cross.

A small cross called a St. Brigid’s cross, woven from rushes or straw was placed under the rafters of the cow barn to protect young calves.

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St. Brigid’s Mantle:

A piece of cloth was left outside from sunset to sunrise on the eve of St. Brigid’s feast in the belief that she would touch it. This was known as St. Brigid’s mantle and it was kept in the house for the following year. The people believed that it would keep farm animals healthy.
The Biddy:

In the country it was the custom that the night before St. Brigid’s Day, on the 1st February, groups of young girls would dress up. They would go from house to house singing and dancing and collecting eggs and money.

The girl leading the group would be dressed as St. Brigid and she carried "a brideog" or little Brigid. The "brideog" was called the biddy and that night the people usually had a dance often known as "a Biddy Ball". This custom is still celebrated in parts of Ireland today.