WELL!
I THINK IT WAS
LAST YEAR when I finally accepted that I just didn’t have the time or energy to
chase down every online notice of something happening in celebration of Brigit
around Imbolc time. This year the activity has grown still more, for several
reasons.
WHAT IS THE BIG
DEAL THIS YEAR?
First, from
the perspective of the general, news-listening/reading public, is the fact that
1 February 2023 has been declared Ireland’s first bank holiday in honour of a
woman. There was talk that it might just be for one year, but it was eventually
decided (perhaps due to overwhelming enthusiasm for the idea) to declare it a
permanent addition to the calendar.
For those of us
who don’t know what a BANK HOLIDAY is, the following is helpful.
From Citizens Information:
There are 10 public holidays in Ireland
each year (increased from 9 in 2022).
Public holidays may commemorate a special
day or other event, for example, Saint Patrick's Day (17 March) or Christmas
Day (25 December).
From 2023, there is a new annual
public holiday in early February to mark St Brigid’s Day. The public holiday is
the first Monday in February, except where St Brigid’s day (1 February) happens
to fall on a Friday, in which case that Friday 1 February will be a public
holiday.
On a public holiday, sometimes called
a bank holiday, most businesses and schools close. Other services
(for example, public transport) still operate but often have restricted
schedules.
About this new
holiday, coming 120 years after St. Patrick’s feast day was declared a public
holiday, Áine Mangan, CEO of Into Kildare (Kildare tourism board) said, “This
decision marks the modelling of the equal dignity of male and female at
national level.”[1]
Second reason
for the hullabaloo. Those of us who are a) Irish and in possession of an internet
connection or b) already followers of Brigit are probably aware that this
Imbolc marks the beginning of BRIGID 1500 – CELEBRATING A WOMAN, A LIFE, A
LEGACY, a year of events leading up to Imbolc 2024, the fifteen-hundredth
anniversary of the death of the saint.
Third. This
Imbolc is the THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RELIGHTING OF BRIGIT’S FLAME
in Kildare, by the Brigidine Sisters. Even if no one else was paying attention
to the day, I suspect that FÉILE BRÍDE 2023 would be a more than
usually significant occasion for the participants. (Coincidentally, it is also
the thirtieth anniversary of Daughters of the Flame rekindling Brigit’s flame, so
we have our own reason to be joyful.)
SAINT BRIGIT’S
DAY TRADITIONS
The RTÉ has a
good article on the OLD WAYS in which St. Brigit’s Day was honoured,
many of which are being revived in modern times. The article is peppered with
radio and television clips to illustrate different ideas.
“How Ireland used to celebrate St Brigid's Day in the past,” by Marion McGarry (RTÉ Brainstorm). Monday, 16 Jan 2023.
THIS YEAR’S
FESTIVALS
FÉILE BRÍDE
2023 – BRIGID: FLAME OF JUSTICE AND PEACE
A full week of
events are planned for this year's Brigid Festival in Kildare. The festival is offered
by the Brigidine Sisters at Solas Bhríde, Kildare County Council, and the
local tourism board, “Into Kildare.” What a momentous year it is, as the Brigidine
Sisters observe thirty years of tending Brigit’s rekindled flame, in
conjunction with the leadup of Brigid 1500th to the anniversary of
Saint Brigit’s death.
To me, one of
the most meaningful events to mark St. Brigit’s Day is the PAUSE FOR PEACE
called for by Solas Bhríde.
“Pause for Peace will see the residents
of Kildare calling on people all around the world to stop for a minute’s
silence at noon (local time) on 1 February.”
Conor
Forrest, Kildare Nationalist
Sr Rita Minehan
of Solas Bhríde said that the Pause for Peace offers a “spiritual underpinning”
to the day and is in harmony with the value of peace which St. Brigid stood for
during her lifetime.
“By pausing for peace, we send out a
message that we actively oppose warfare and the proliferation of arms, which
wreak havoc on human beings as well as on the natural world. This movement aims
to awaken and build a spirit of global solidarity in our search for peace.”
Rita
Minehan
You are very welcome
to join this event wherever you are, perhaps involving your community in one
minute of silence, reflecting on peace and sending peace from our hearts to the
people of the world, especially those in places of war and crisis. ONLINE
& IN PERSON
***
LA FHÉILE
BRÍDE / BRIGIDS DAY FESTIVAL CLONDALKIN – Clondalkin's Annual One DayFestival to celebrate St Brigid's Day. February 1st. IN PERSON
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HERSTORY IRELAND
“Founded in 2016, Herstory tells women’s
stories through the arts, visionary education projects, and spectacular light
shows.”
“Herstory is calling on all counties and
diaspora centres across the world to illuminate for the first official national
holiday on Brigid’s Day 2023. From the shadows into the light, this will be a
joyous celebration of all Mná, our Celtic Goddess, Matron Saint and Imbolc, the
ancient festival of Spring.”
HerstoryIreland website
This will be the fourth year in a row that Herstory Ireland has had a Brigid’s Day celebration, images of which, with Courtney Davis’s portrait of Brigit projected onto the GPO, are by now very familiar from social media. They campaigned to have St. Brigit’s Day declared a national holiday, so the cheering this year is well earned, indeed. IN PERSON (& ONLINE?)
Brigid1500 website
The Kildare Nationalist
has a piece on the various events lined up for Brigid 1500 (see below). “Host ofEvents for 2023 to Celebrate Life and Legacy of St Brigid,” Monday, January 16,
2023. IN PERSON
BRIGID
FESTIVAL VANCOUVER returns for the fourth year, with three in person
events and one online session with the Brigidine sisters Rita Minehan and Phil
O’Shea, “Tending the Flame of St. Brigid.” Free registration. ONLINE
& IN PERSON
“Brigid Festival Vancouver is a four-day
free festival to celebrate the healing, light, and creativity of
Irish women and women across the world with a mix of in-person and virtual
gatherings. This year our inclusive theme is: 'There's Room for Everyone Under
Brigid's Cloak'.”
BrigidFestival Vancouver website
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THE UNITED
IRISH CULTURAL CENTER (Irish Center) in San Francisco is pulling out the
stops for this year’s Saint Brigid’s Day. One brilliant event is something you
can do at home: spring cleaning! Which is in fact an old tradition connected to
this day. IN PERSON
The coincidence
of these two rekindlings wasn’t known to us for a number of years. As far as I knew,
the Brigidine Sisters were long gone, and it was up to the rest of us to bring
Brigit’s flame back into the world. As so many of us now have. What a joy to then
discover we had been working alongside these remarkable sisters in Brigit’s
home of Kildare.
We will not be
staging a public event, but gathering together on Zoom and reading a very long
retrospective newsletter when not swept away by other revelries. PRIVATE
YOU
If your own
locale is publicly celebrating Imbolc/Saint Brigit’s Day this year, feel free
to leave a link below in the comment section.
Beannachtaí
na Féile Bríde agus Imbolc oraibh!
Blessings
of Brigid's Day & Imbolc to you all!
Images: “Brigid's Blessing” by Sue Ellen Parkinson. “Dylan Kelly (3) and students from local Kildare schools at the launch of ‘Pause for Peace’.” Photo: Conor Healy / Picture It Photography. From “Kildare Calls for a Pause for Peace on St Brigid’s Day,” Friday, January 13, 2023, Kildare Nationalist. “Triskele Agnóstico based on image by DaDez Creative Commons ASA 3 0 U. All other images are from the event webpages.
