Where can one begin in relation to this rich subject? I suppose that one would begin with the old festival of Imbolc (also Imbolg and Oimelc,) literally, “ewe's milk,” celebrated on February first. This would mark the time when the ewe's were milked at the beginning of spring. It has been suggested by some authors, that the name implies purification, which many of it's rites have included, based upon the theory that the word used to denote milking is derived from an Indo-European root word meaning purification, but I have seen no evidence of this.
Regardless of the origins of this feast day it later became dedicated to the goddess/saint Brigid/Brigid/Bridget/Bride. Brigid was, and is a patron goddess/saint of poetry, the hearth, family, healing, metal-working (thus making her important within smith honoring Craft traditions,) fire, and education. In certain regions she also seems to have held an association with battle, animals and nature in general. It bears mentioning that there have recently been several authors to question her relation to fire. All associations aside, it is somewhat unclear how the goddess/saint became linked with the festival. What we can be sure of, is that she was most certainly associated with the day by the dawn of the modern era.
By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries tradition held that Brigid would visit the homes of the virtuous on the eve before her feast day. During this time it was customary to place a cloth, ribbon, garment, etc. upon the window-sill overnight to be blessed by the goddess/saint in her passing. Supposedly, this would then protect the wearer from headaches. It was also customary to hold a formal dinner to mark the passing of winter on her feast day. A portion of this feast, often bread or a cake, was placed on the same sill as an offering to the passing goddess/saint. St. Brigid's Crosses were also woven from rushes and hung over doorways or in rafters as a greeting to her on her holy day. These crosses have four equal arms and bear some resemblance to the swastika.
Another custom celebrating Brigid was to dress straw doll in clothing and decorate it with shells, stones, crystals, flowers and jewelry. These decorations would be added to the doll as it was taken in a procession from house to house where homage was paid to it. In some regions the procession was conducted by the young women who would wear all white as a sign of their purity and youth. The elder women would have a bed made, often of straw, for the effigy of the “Bride” next to which a wand made of a “feminine wood” was placed. A chant would accompany this in similar manner to: “Brigit, Brigit, come over, thy bed is ready,” “Bride, Bride, come over and make your bed,” or “Bride, Bride, come in, thy bed is made. Preserve the house for the Trinity.” The morning following this celebration the ashes of the fire would be studied to see if the goddess/saint had truly visited the household. If a mark was found, it was a good sign. If no sign of the Bride was seen it was an ill omen. The remedy for such an ill fate was to bury a cock at the crossing of three streams and to then burn incense on the household fire before next laying down to bed.
In England, it should be noted that this day is associated with the stirring of hibernating snakes. A charm against such goes like so:
Today is the day of Bride,
The serpent shall come from the hole,
The queen will come from the mound,
I will not molest the serpent,
The serpent will not molest me.
To the witch there is obvious symbolism found herein. The queen coming from the mound is the resurrection or reincarnation of the spring goddess upon the Earth. The serpent in this instance could be an actual serpent, or on a more esoteric level, symbolize a “second winter.” This charm would be a call to the emerging goddess to guard the land against the second winter (or late ending winter) or else protect the petitioner against the fangs of snakes. On a note that will sound closer to home for some traditional crafters, this could also be the queen coming forth as the spring goddess and the serpent representing something more positive, the revitalization of the power of the Land.
In later times these St. Brigid's Day customs were often celebrated in conjunction with the festival of lights, Candlemas, honoring the purification of the Virgin Mary on February second. This day was said to mark the return of Mary to the temple in Jerusalem to be purified after giving birth to Jesus Christ. On Candlemas day, new candles would be blessed upon the high altar in the church. Some of these candles would be burnt before the image of the Virgin, while others were taken home and burnt to protect against storms and sickness. From these customs we get our name “Candlemas.” This custom may be traced back to Roman times when people would process through the streets (not unlike the Bride custom) bearing candles and torches in honor of the goddess Februa (namesake of the month February) who was the mother or Mars. This practice was eventually banned by the Church and the custom of lighting candles for the Virgin was thus instated. This was also seen as a time for purifying the self. Brand has this to say of the adaptation of the custom in his Popular Antiquities: “he (the Pope) thought to undo this foule use and custom, and turn it into God's worship and that of our Lady's.” Somehow this was supposed to have “hallowed” the old Roman festival. There was a particular divination associated with Candlemas night and the held in Ireland. On Candlemas night candles are named after each member of a family and then lit. The first to burn out is the first to die, and so on to the last.
