Whether you call her Brigit, Brigid, the Irish Bríd or any of the similar names, and whether you prefer Saint or Goddess, today, the first of February, is her day and the day to celebrate Imbolc and the beginning of spring.
St. Brigit is one of the major patron saints of Ireland whose legend crosses both pagan and Christian boundaries. She is known to watch over hearth and home, can be called upon for healing, and is particularly fond of musicians, artists, and writers/poets.
I visited St. Brigit’s monastery in Kildare (Cill Dara) last year. She reportedly received the spot from the King of Leinster when she requested a plot of land as big as her cloak. Miraculously, her supposedly small cloak ended up stretching over acres of land. In this monastery, it was said that the nuns kept a sacred flame burning night and day. The flame is now kept in a house in the village, but alas, when I tried to visit and light a candle from the sacred flame, no one was home. There are two wells in the area, one for St. Brigit and the other for the Goddess Brigid. I have a small container of water from the latter.
On the way back from my walk today, a woman in Shop Street was selling St. Brigit crosses that she had made, so of course I had to purchase one. It now hangs in a place of honor over my fireplace (photo below).
Whether Christian or Pagan, it’s the day to celebrate the halfway point between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. The days are lengthening and life is beginning anew.
Mdmusings Ireland Blog 
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