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.
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.
Thanks for the reminder on how to make one – It has been 40 years, for me, probably!
I may try on next time I’m out in the weeds 🙂
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It is still a big tradition here in Donegal, along with a big feed of bruitin!
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