{"id":1467,"date":"2024-02-01T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/?p=1467"},"modified":"2025-02-01T18:19:41","modified_gmt":"2025-02-01T18:19:41","slug":"february-1-festival-of-imbolc-st-bridgets-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/february-1-festival-of-imbolc-st-bridgets-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Festival of Imbolc, St. Bridget’s Day February 1st"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Snowdrops in late January 2024, Gilbert White’s House Selborne (Photo Kevin Flude)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Today is Imbolc, one of the four Celtic Fire Festivals. It corresponds with St Bridget’s Day, which is a Christian festival for the Irish Saint, and is the eve of Candlemas. Bridget is the patron saint of all things to do with brides, marriage, fertility, and midwifery (amongst many other things, see above). And in Ireland, last year (2024) was the very first St Bridget’s\/ Imbolc Day Bank Holiday<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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St Bride’s Statue, St Bride’s Church. Fleet Street from K.Flude’s virtual tour on Imbolc<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

St Bridget, aka Briddy or Bride, converted the Irish to Christianity along with St Patrick in the 5th Century AD. She appears to have taken on the attributes of a Celtic fertility Goddess, called Bridget or Brigantia, so some doubt she was a real person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brigantia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are Roman altars dedicated to Brigantia The Brigantes tribe in the North were named after the Goddess. The Brigantes were on the front line against the invading Romans in the 1st Century AD, and led by Queen Cartimandua.  Cartimandua tried to keep her independence by cooperating with the Romans, while, a few years later, Boudica took the opposite strategy. But both women appear to have had agency as leaders of their tribes and show a great contrast with Roman misogyny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Altar to Brigantia from K Flude’s virtual tour on Imbolc<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Last day of medieval Christmas and the Lords of Misrule.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was the end of the Christmas period. John Stow, in the 16th Century describes the period between Halloween and Candlemas being the time that London was ruled by various Lords of Misrule and Boy Bishops (see my post here<\/a>). In the piece below Stow goes on to talk about a terrible storm that took place on st February 1444.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Against the feast of Christmas every man\u2019s house, as also the parish churches, were decked with holm, ivy, bays, and whatsoever the season of the year afforded to be green. The conduits and standards in the streets were likewise garnished; amongst the which I read, in the year 1444, that by tempest of thunder and lightning, on the 1st of February, at night, Powle\u2019s steeple was fired, but with great labour quenched; and towards the morning of Candlemas day, at the Leaden hall in Cornhill, a standard of tree being set up in midst of the pavement, fast in the ground, nailed full of holm and ivy, for disport of Christmas to the people, was torn up, and cast down by the malignant spirit (as was thought), and the stones of the pavement all about were cast in the streets, and into divers houses, so that the people were sore aghast of the great tempests.’<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wells dedicated to St Bridget<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There are many wells dedicated to St Bride. They were often used in rituals and dances concerned with fertility and healthy babies. And perhaps, the most famous, was near Fleet Street. Henry VIII’s Palace of Bridewell, later an infamous prison, was named after the Well. St Bride’s Church has long been a candidate as an early Christian Church, and although the post World War Two excavations found nothing to suggest an early Church, they did find an early well near the site of the later altar of the Church, and by the remains of a Roman building, possibly a mausoleum. Therefore, it is possible that the Church was built on the site of an ancient, arguably holy, well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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St Bridget’s Well, Glastonbury<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The steeple of St Brides is said to be the origin of the tiered Wedding Cake, which, in 1812, inspired a local baker to bake for his daughter’s wedding.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Steeple of St Brides Fleet Street<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Imbolc and St Bridget’s Day are the time to celebrate the return of fertility to the earth as spring approaches. In my garden and my local park, the first snowdrops, violets, and daffodils are coming out, and below the bare earth, there is a frenzy of bulbs and seeds budding, and beginning to poke their shoots up above the earth, ready for the Spring. In the meadows, ewes are lactating, and the first lambs are being born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Violets, bulbs, and my first Daffodil of the year. Hackney (2022), London by K Flude<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I, occasionally, do walks about Imbolc and other Celtic festivals, in conjunction with the Myths and Legends of London, and at May Eve, the Solstices, Halloween and Christmas (when I have time). See the walks page of this blog <\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/walks<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And let’s end with the Saint Brigid Hearth Keeper Prayer<\/strong> Courtesy of SaintBrigids.org<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brigid of the Mantle, encompass us,
Lady of the Lambs, protect us,
Keeper of the Hearth, kindle us.
Beneath your mantle, gather us,
And restore us to memory.
Mothers of our mother, Foremothers strong.
Guide our hands in yours,
Remind us how to kindle the hearth.
To keep it bright, to preserve the flame.
Your hands upon ours, Our hands within yours,
To kindle the light, Both day and night.
The Mantle of Brigid about us,
The Memory of Brigid within us,
The Protection of Brigid keeping us
From harm, from ignorance, from heartlessness.
This day and night,
From dawn till dark, From dark till dawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For more about St Bridget<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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First published in 2023, revised and republished Feb 2024, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I have republished my post of the Chinese New Year which you can see here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chinese New Year February 10th<\/a><\/blockquote>