In addition, the day of celebration to mark Saint Brigid falls on the same feast day for the Celtic goddess Brigid: the traditional Gaelic festival of Imbolc. Fold a third piece of straw in half, then wrap it around the second piece (like you did around the first piece in step 3).

St Brigid’s Cross: the meaning and history of the Irish symbol

The Christian Saint Brigid is the patron saint of Ireland. However, she is a pretty dynamic saint and Ireland is not the only thing she symbolises to the Irish people. She is also the Patron Saint of dairymaids, cattle, midwives, Irish nuns, and newborn babies. Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting and transformative Catholic news, stories, spirituality, and more. Repeating what you did in step 5, take a fourth piece of straw, fold it in half, then wrap it around all the pieces of straw that are pointing up. Popular legend tells us that she was the daughter of Dagda, who belonged to the Tuatha De Danann, a race of people who were the island’s first inhabitants.

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As a result, the chieftain’s fever broke, and he became quiet. Due to her message of love and enlightenment, the chieftain agreed to baptism as a Christian, just before his passing. Once word of the old chieftain’s conversion and baptism became known, the news spread like wildfire, and now people make the crosses as a commemoration act of the occasion. Saint Brigid (often called Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland), c. 451 – 525, was one of the most iconic early Irish Christian nuns.

St. Brigid’s Cross Worksheet - Twinkl How to Make a St. Brigid’s Cross Worksheet - Twinkl

The Christian version of the story has Brigid creating the cross at the deathbed of a local pagan chieftain (some say it was actually her father). Great! I work with 1st graders (lots of energy, itty-bitty attention spans) and am always looking for projects suitable for their age that will bolster the teachings of our faith. This will do nicely. Brighid was the goddess of fire. She is associated with Spring, fertility, new life, and the protection of poets and healers. She has been celebrated on the first day of Spring which falls on the 1st of February for centuries, although the pagan name for this feast day celebration is Imbolc. The iconic St. Brigid's cross that can be found in many an Irish household as a tribute to Ireland's female patron saint. Photo: Vitocork, Getty Images Pro Saint Brigid’s Cross: The Meaning Behind ItOf all the Irish Celtic symbols we know and love, Saint Brigid’s cross is still utilized in many Irish homes around the island of Ireland. You could use the worksheet for an activity to do with the whole class, so your children can follow each step together. Or, they could use the worksheet individually to work out how to make a St. Brigid’s Cross themselves. That way, you can test how well your children can follow the instructions. It is also a popular design for those with Irish heritage or just a love for Irish design to have inked permanently on their skin. Sometimes this cross is tattooed on its own or as an element of a larger tattoo. St Bridget’s Day is celebrated on the 1st February each year and the crosses are made at that time. Rushes were traditionally used to make the St Bridget’s Cross. These were collected from wetlands and cut into pieces, 8-12 inches long. Rushes can be hard to get for city dwellers so ordinary drinking straws are a good substitute. Use rubber bands to tie up the ends.

St. Brigid’s Cross - an Easy Step by Step Guide Making a St. Brigid’s Cross - an Easy Step by Step Guide

Often, St. Brigid’s Cross consists of rushes or straws. Some Irish Americans also use pipe cleaners to make the cross as they are durable and can bend to form the arms of the cross. Furthermore, a distinctive square made from woven rushes lies at the center from which three arms extend and tied and fastened at the end. Where do you hang St. Brigid’s cross? Kilbride is one of Ireland’s most common placenames: there are 45 Kilbrides in 19 of the country’s 32 counties. Kilbride means ‘Church of Brigid’. Brigid appears in texts from the 10 th century, but at some point, the story of the pagan Brigid seems to have merged with the Christian Brigid, who was actually born in 451 A.D. because the saint shares many of the goddess’s attributes, including wisdom, poetry, healing, and protection. Brigid died in Kildare around 525 AD and was buried in a tomb before the high altar of her founded abbey.

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The cross itself is considered an ancient fire wheel symbol, which would explain its use as a protector from evil, fire, and hunger. Since that day, and for the centuries that followed, it has been customary on the eve of her FeastDay (1st February) for the Irish people to fashion a St. Brigid's Cross of straw or rushes and place it inside the house over the door.

St Brigids Cross - Etsy UK St Brigids Cross - Etsy UK

Followers of the ancient Celtic traditions in Ireland believe that the cross was associated with the pagan festival Imbolg, which signaled the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

The many stories of Saint Brigid speak of her miraculous activities during her lifetime. Such as when she fell from a horse and hit her head. Her blood mixed with the water on the ground and two sisters, who had no hearing, suddenly regained the ability to hear.