Lá Fheile Bhride

Lá ann speisealta seo san feilire Gaelic.  Today is a very special day in the Gaelic Calander.  Although celebrated as the feast of St. Brigid many believe that Brigid was a Celtic Goddess who became Christianised as Ireland slowly became Christian after the arrival of St. Patrick in 432. 

St. Brigid is associated the land, with our precious spiritual earth, with herbs and healing and is regarded as the patron of hearth fires and domestic life.   To this day children all over Ireland make Celtic crosses from rushes which were (and continue to be) hung in homes to protect them from fire and from illness – in other words to bless and protect the home.

The famous Irish poet Raftery began one of his poems with ‘Anois teacht on Earraigh, beidh an la dul chun shineadh is tar eis na Feile Bhride arodoigh me mo shaol’ meaning ‘now that Spring is arriving the days will be lengthening and after St. Brigid’s Day I’ll raise my sail’, or, ‘now the days are getting longer I’ll head off on my travels again’.

February 1st is also known as Imbolc, first day of Spring connected with the arrival of the first lambs and is one of the great Celtic seasonal festivals, the others being Samhain, Bealtaine and Lughnasa. Imbolc falls about half-way between Mid-Winter’s Day and the Spring Solstice and in ancient times there would have been big feasts and celebrations on these days every year.

This day is a day of hope, there are signs of Spring, the days are getting longer, birds are singing more, and daffodils are bringing joy to our hearts.

This Spring again farmers will be planting seeds which will yield us food in the Autumn.  May we also plant seeds of hope, health and healing for all humankind, to be showered with the sunshine of love, and refreshed by good-will, that Our Spiritual Earth may yield fruits good health, joy, warm hugs and happy get-togethers in the Golden Days of Autumn.