Happy Brigid’s day everyone, a nice way to celebrate the beginning of Spring and mark a day of feasting in the seasonal calendar. Celebrating spring is important for many reasons. Firstly, it symbolises renewal and new beginnings after the long, dark winter. It’s a time to shake off the cobwebs and embrace the season, blooming flowers, and longer days. Spring believe it or not brings us together out of our winter mindset and gets us going on walks, community talks, and general good spirit.
I personally like to celebrate 1st of February, Brigid’s day or Imbolc as the start of the new year. Not because of any religious reasons (atheist but spiritual and respect all beliefs). Its the start of new light. In January I like to put my thoughts together, take time to reflect, organise my time, and try to do better … but to do so I dont start until February and celebrate it to make sure its personally special. So why not make a Brigid’s cross to show a new start, protect your home regardless of your beliefs, be creative, read some poetry, have some fun … its all a lovely tradition.
Irish history/mythology is amazing because of its story telling and when we crossed between paganism to christianity as a society we brought all our stories with us. This includes the cross over of Pagan goddess Brigid and St. Bridget. Brigid is a goddess from ancient Celtic mythology, and is associated with spring, fertility, and creativity. She was revered as a goddess of fire and is often associated with hearth, home, and fertility. Brigid was celebrated as the goddess of spring and new beginnings, and her festival, Imbolc, was celebrated on February 1st and marked the beginning of spring in the Celtic calendar.
In Irish mythology, Brigid was known for her kindness, wisdom, and compassion. She was considered a patroness of the arts, and was said to be skilled in poetry, smithing, and healing. Brigid was associated with fire, and her sacred flame was said to have miraculous healing properties. This connection to fire also symbolised the rebirth and renewal of spring, as the winter cold gave way to new growth and vitality.
The illustration below was influenced by ex-colleague and savage person Sophie Merry from the repeal the 8th vid – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG61E4-iceQ
Some stuff I love to do in Spring and for your mental health I recommend too …
- Go on a nature walk or hike and enjoy the beauty of spring flowers and greenery.
- Have a picnic in a park or outdoor space but still wrap up because its not summer yet.
- Attend a spring festival or fair, such as a cherry blossom festival or tulip festival.
- Start getting planting ideas together once the frost has gone.
- Spring cleaning is a phrase because it works, so spring clean your physical space and your mental space.
- Visit a farmer’s market and buy fresh produce to make a spring-inspired meal.
- Take a road trip or plan a spring getaway to a new spot you havent visited before.
- Hiking treks are always great to see change in nature.
- Decorate your home with spring colors and flowers to embrace the season’s energy.
