While straw is the more popular weaving material for most variants of Brigid's cross, the interlaced cross is more frequently made from rushes. It is not traditional, but it holds the cross together well even after it shrinks a little when the rushes dry out. Brigid’s Cross represents the Christianisation of an ancient Celtic symbol and is associated with the Irish saint, Brigid. In addition to the monastic products highlighted above, one of our new monks makes Chilworth Rosary Beads of cord. The chieftain was so interested in her words that he was converted and asked to be baptised before his death.

Some families attributed the decline of Brigid's crosses to house renovations that inhibited the ability to hang them appropriately. Brigid's Day, February 1, is when Ireland remembers the Celtic goddess Brigid and her immense power in both the Irish mythological and religious imagination. It was removed from the RTÉ logo in 1995 in favour of "a clean striking piece of modern design", a decision which Carol Coulter of The Irish Times opined, "Saint Brigid's cross has lost its place as a symbol of our national identity, well at least as far as our national broadcasting station is concerned. In the winter, Brighid becomes the cailleach, the woman in agedness, and on Imbolc, she collected the kindling of the fires that get her to the spring of regeneration. When on my summer holiday in Ireland I have noticed these crosses in the homes of many of my relatives.Throughout Ireland, the cross is associated with the arrival of springtime and with Ireland’s goddess, venerable Saint Brigid of Kildare. Brigid include the Brigid’s Cross, a flame or fire representing her association with hearth and home, a cow or dairy-related items symbolizing her connection to abundance, and a crozier or staff representing her role as an abbess. Releasing records under the pseudonym "Burial," William Bevan comes from South London in England, and is one of dubstep's most enigmatic artists. Brigid’s biography, she has become a permanent part of Irish culture, such that her image is easily recognizable and traditions dedicated to her are still very much alive today. Rushes are a plant with thin but strong hollow leaves that are found growing in marshy, wet, and boggy spots all over Ireland.

He jokingly agreed to give her as much as her cloak could cover, but her cloak somehow expanded to cover several acres of land! In ancient Celtic tradition, the holiday of Imbolc is observed on February 1 or 2 as a day to celebrate Bríd transforming from a cailleach ("witch") into a maiden who collects kindling to make a fire in the winter that will warm the spring and make her young again. Scholars argue whether she was, in fact, a Christianisation of pagan beliefs or a real person who mimicked the goddess. For the devout, the well where she had baptized people is still a pilgrimage site, and the wishing tree there remains lively with ribbons. The tradition of weaving her cross from reeds for 1st February, to celebrate the arrival of Spring, continues to this day in rural Ireland.Brigid’s supernatural powers resemble that of a pagan goddess, such as controlling the water in a river.

She lives on even in language— Brid agus Muire dhuit is still a common greeting, meaning “May Brigid and Mary be with you. Outside of Ireland, Brigid's crosses are also customarily hung in Glastonbury, England, in accordance with a local legend that says Brigid of Kildare visited the town in 488 CE. Kildare, but her remains were exhumed during the time of the Viking raids along the east coast of Ireland and brought to Downpatrick, where she rests alongside Saints Patrick and Columcille at Down Cathedral. It is often displayed above doorways or in windows, and it is sometimes used in rituals or ceremonies for healing and warding off negative energy. Our maker-partner is Gaelic for "Saint Patrick," and has a passion for bringing the traditional symbols of the Irish saints to the global population!

The goddess Brigid was the daughter of the Dagda and one of the Tuatha Dé Danann before she was melded with the Christian saint of the same name in the Middle Ages.

When it was brought to her attention what the cross symbolised, it was then that she asked to be baptised. This seasonal festival marks the first day of spring in the Celtic Calendar; when the days grow longer and the weather becomes milder.Here, is a more complicated St Brigid’s Cross – a diamond cross made with rushes twisted onto willow twigs. It has a square centerpiece with four radials, and It’s usually made of straw, rushes, or reeds that are woven together in a criss-cross pattern. It can also represent peace and goodwill, and it was even placed in cowsheds to safeguard animals and help cows to produce more milk. Brigid’s crosses before putting them up in their homes, signifying its religious importance in Ireland’s culture. After an evening feast, the head of household would supervise the rest of the family as they wove crosses from the collected material.