How Ireland used to celebrate St Brigid's Day in the past
St Brigid's Day, or Lá Fhéile Bríde, was once a major turning point in the old Irish calendar and was celebrated widely. Occurring at the same time as Imbolc, an ancient festival that initiated the beginnings of spring and new growth, it marked a stretch in the evenings and was a time to take stock and think ahead.
More recently in Ireland, it largely amounted to a simple turn of the calendar page, and many of us don’t give it a second thought. However, St Brigid's Day will be a new public holiday in the Republic of Ireland from 2023 onwards and there will be a renewed interest and emphasis on this old festival. But how did our most recent ancestors celebrate the occasion - and are there any traditions worth reviving?
Imbolc became Christianised in Ireland as the feast day of St. Brigid, the foremost female Irish saint, and a version of the universal goddess Brigid, of the older popular religions. Legends portrayed the Christian saint as a formidable woman with the power to influence kings, and worshippers prayed to her to intercede on their behalf with God. Until the mid-20th century, Brigid was one the most popular names for Catholic girls, such was her status.
Exactly who was worshipped on St Brigid’s Day - Christian saint or 'pagan’ goddess - was interchangeable according to the rituals practised. People attended Mass and prayed at Holy Wells on St Brigid’s Day but also partook of older customs, the exact origins of which are unknown.
https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2022/0131/1276827-ireland-st-brigids-day-traditions-biddy-boys-brat-bhride-/
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