It is not easy to separate the historic Brigid ni Dubhtach, better known as Saint Brigid, from the Tuatha de Danaan deity Goddess Brigit. This can be frustrating on one hand, but it also makes clear how pagan religion is mixed in the Catholic religion.
Saint Brigid was born in 450 in Faughart in County Louth as daughter from a slave and Dubhtach the slave owner. Being an illegitimate child she was sent to a female druid to be raised. Nice touch: Saint Brigid was fed on the milk of a red-eared cow, which is a pagan symbol for the Tír na nÓg, or World of the Young, the world where the fairies lived.
In Kildare, in Gaelic Cell Dara, meaning Church of the Oak Tree, again a strong pagan symbol, she founded a monastery. Soon Kildare grew into a cathedral city of learning and devoutness.
Unlike Saint Patrick it was not Saint Brigid’s primary intention to convert people. The only purpose of her travels was to give relief to the poor and ill. During one of these visits, while praying for healing, she made the first Saint Brigid’s Cross from straw. Needless to point out, but the patient recovered.
Nowadays Saint Brigid’s Crosses, but not the ones you can buy in almost every shop, are hung in houses and barns to protect the buildings against fire and lightning and the inhabitants from illness and epidemics. In some areas of the counties Donegal and Antrim the waste straws are pilled up beside the stove to form a bed when Saint Brigid visits the house or are used against headaches.
Beside miraculous recoveries Saint Brigid is also known for multiplying food and drinks on several occasions. This connects her in some extent to Brigit the goddess, who was associated with fertility. Other miracles which are attributed to Saint Brigid are the capability to detect sinners by a sulphur smell and to hang her cloak on a sunbeam to dry.
Supplies Needed to Make a Saint Bridget’s Cross
Saint Bridget made her now famous cross using rushes, but a beautiful Saint Bridget’s cross can be made using paper twist. Found in most craft stores, paper twist is tightly wound crepe paper that is very versatile. Paper twist is the perfect substitute for wild rushes, and it makes a beautiful Saint Bridget’s cross. Choose natural colored paper twist, or make a Saint Bridget’s cross in a color of your choice. You will also need a pair of sharp craft scissors, warm water, and a rag.
Weaving a Saint Bridget’s Cross
Begin making a Saint Bridget’s cross by cutting sixteen twenty-inch lengths of paper twist in a color of your choice. Place the sections of paper twist in warm water for a few seconds, and pat them dry with a rag. Softening the paper twist will make it easier to work with. Weave the Saint Bridget’s cross by laying the first length of paper twist vertically on a flat surface. Take a second length of paper twist, and fold it in half around the middle of the first one. Take a third length and fold it in half while wrapping it around the second piece to create a right angle. Take a fourth length of paper twist, and fold it in half while wrapping it around the first and third section of paper twist. A woven square should begin to form in the middle of the cross. Keep adding wrapping lengths of paper twists in a clockwise manner. When all the pieces are used, you’ll have a cross with a completed woven square in the center.
Lastly, cut a piece of paper twist that is long enough to secure the four ends of the cross. It should be approximately 8 inches in length. Gently unroll the paper twist, and cut four equal size pieces down the length of the paper. Roll each section to make narrower sections of paper twist, and secure a piece to all four ends.
Trim any uneven ends of paper twist, and allow the Saint Bridget’s cross to dry completely before hanging. After the Saint Bridget’s cross has dried, hang it proudly above a door.
History adapted from: www.triskelle.eu/history/saintbrigid
Directions adapted from: www.associatedcontent.com/article/27133/weaving_a_saint_bridgets_cross.html
