St Brigid’s Day is traditionally celebrated on 1 February, which is also considered the first day of spring here in Ireland, also known as Imbolc.

History

Brigid was born in 451 AD, and was destined to become a nun and an abbess.  She founded several convents, the most famous at Kildare, on the site of a shrine to the Celtic goddess Brigid.

Saint Brigid is said to have woven a cross from the rushes of a floor mat, as she taught a dying man about Christianity.  Thus, the tradition of making crosses from rushes or straw to mark Brigid’s feast day was born…

St Brigid Cross Making

On 31 January 2017, I joined a local gathering to learn more about cross making, among some very experienced weavers.

A cross made from straw by a local craftsman

Rushes lay ready prepared in neat bundles on the floor, and were then distributed along a series of tables.  I was taught by an experienced hand, who had me weaving in no time.

The basic cross making technique is simple – once you have had a few practices!

You begin with two rushes, bending one over the other.

Now add one rush at a time, crossing the last set, turning the cross with each addition, whilst keeping everything as tight as possible.

The centre of the cross begins to take shape.

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Once you are happy with the size of your cross, tie the ends with wool or string.  I added extra ties around the central square, as I liked the finished effect, plus it keeps everything extra secure…

Here is my first completed cross:

My enthusiasm knew no bounds, and I made two more crosses in the same design:

Followed by a triangular version:

Finally, I made a very simple cross, woven with two sets of six rushes:

Bruitin

Half way through the proceedings, we were treated to bowls of mashed potatoes and chopped scallions, topped off with butter and warm milk.  This is a traditional Irish dish known as bruitin (pronounced broo-cheen).  My tummy was incredibly happy!

I shall be making more St Brigid’s Crosses again tonight – a beautiful Celtic tradition.

Brigid P. Gallagher is a retired natural medicines therapist, passionate organic gardener and author of “Watching the Daisies- Life lessons on the Importance of Slow,” a holistic memoir dedicated to the art of mindfulness and healing from debilitating illness.