St. Bridget's Day

St. Bridget's Day

February 1

St. Bridget (or Brigid, or Bride ) is the female patron saint of Ireland. She has also been identified with an ancient pagan goddess. Her feast day, February 1, was traditionally the first day of spring and of the new year in rural Ireland because it marked the start of the agricultural season. Legends about Bridget associate her with abundance and fertility; her cows, for example, allegedly gave milk up to three times a day. She is credited with an almost endless number of miracles and was buried in the same church at Downpatrick where the bodies of St. Patrick and St. Columba lie. She lived during the sixth century and probably established the first Irish convent, around which the city of Kildare eventually grew.
Many old customs and folk beliefs are associated with St. Bridget's feast day. For example, people would not perform any work on this day that involved turning or twisting, or that required the use of a wheel. It was also customary on the eve of the saint's day for the oldest daughter of the family to bring a bundle of rushes to the door. Playing the role of St. Bridget, she would distribute the rushes among the family members, who would make crosses from them and, after the crosses were sprinkled with holy water, hang them throughout the house. Because St. Bridget is said to have woven the first cloth in Ireland, a cloth known as the Brat Bhride, or "Bridget's cloak," was left outside on the steps, and during the night it was believed to acquire special healing powers.
The custom of having women propose marriage to men during Leap Year can also be traced to St. Bridget. As legend has it, she complained to St. Patrick about the fact that men always took the initiative and persuaded him to grant women the right to do so during one year out of every four. Then Bridget proposed to Patrick, who turned her down but softened his refusal by giving her a kiss and a silk gown.

SOURCES:
BkDays-1864, vol. I, p. 206
BkFest-1937, p. 53
DaysCustFaith-1957, p. 43
DictFolkMyth-1984, pp. 165, 966
FestSaintDays-1915, p. 24
FolkWrldHol-1999, p. 109
OxDictSaints-1987, p. 62
OxYear-1999, pp. 57, 60
SaintFestCh-1904, p. 89

Celebration day: Feb 1