Bride's Day — the patron saint - and goddess - of The British Pilgrimage Trust

Today, February 1st, is Bride's Day is important in our charity's calendar, as Bride is our self-chosen patron saint and goddess

We chose Bride (also know as St Bride, Brigid or Brighid) as our patron saint and goddess because her story weaves together Pagan and Christian narratives, so embodies inclusivity and the timeless spirit of pilgrimage. Also because she was known for her compassion, creativity, love of music and hospitality, and care for travellers. Plus, her name is connected to the word 'Britain', making her the perfect patron for the British Pilgrimage Trust.

Bride has been worshipped by the Celtic people as a Saint for over fifteen hundred years, and as a Goddess long before the Roman invasion of Britain. She was so powerful a figure that the Celtic Christian Church had to adopt her as a Saint and the Roman Catholic Church followed suit. Her followers would never abandon her!

Brighid, pagan Goddess

As a pagan goddess, Brighid is the solar deity who hung her mantle on a sunbeam and supports traditionally womanly arts – midwifery, dyeing, weaving and brewing. She is also the guardian of children and farm animals – particularly cows and the patron of travellers, sailors, and fugitives and for poetic inspiration: storytellers, folklorists, mythologists, balladeers, singers, composers, poets, musicians, particularly harpers, historians and clan genealogists.

Brighid is also the Triple Goddess of Fire – the fire of poetic inspiration and divination, the fire of health and fertility, and the fire of metalworking and crafts.

In her water deity form, Brighid is the patroness of healers, and she has many healing springs and wells (Brideswell) dedicated to her throughout the British Isles. Water is also associated with psychic ability, music, and poetry. Natural bodies of water were also sacred to her, notably where three streams joined together.

White (geal) is Brighid's colour, and symbolises purity and also represents milk.  A tradition on this day is to leave out milk overnight for Brigid, or pour it on the ground as a 'libation' to honour her.

Red (ruadh) is also her colour, the colour of the hearth fire.

Blue (gorm) — in Christian tradition, her mantle is blue, which is also associated with the Virgin Mary.

Green (glas) — her mantle is said to be green, a colour associating her with faeries. Ireland is sometimes referred to as her green mantle.

St Bride (Brigit), Christian Saint

She occurs in Christian tradition as Saint Brigit of Kildare, Ireland, and died near Kildare, on February 1st, 525. As a Christian Saint, along with St. Patrick, she is the patron Saint of Ireland. She was said to have been baptised by St Patrick himself, and became the first Abbess of Kildare. In Ireland, her day is second only to St Patrick's day for celebrations, and people display woven dolls or Bride's Crosses above doorways for her to bless (see below).

When Brigit's family tried to force her to marry, she plucked out her own eye to make herself less attractive. When her family relented, she replaced her eye, miraculously healed. It is said that the shadow that her body cast had healing powers if one stood in it. Legend claims her to be the midwife to Virgin Mary and the foster mother of Christ.

Candlemas is celebrated the day after Bride's Day, a day also known as the ‘Purification of the Virgin Mary’. This is appropriate because, like Mary, Brigit is a patroness of light and in her pagan version, she was a solar deity. On Candlemas, the members of the parish carry their lighted candles in a procession around the church, then the priest blesses the candles.

Read more about Brigid on the Druidry.org website.‍

Ancient traditions on Bride's Day

Bride's Day coincides with Imbolc, the festival of Spring's return, and Candlemas. Consequently there are many traditions associated that acknowledge the turning of the seasons towards spring, new life, and fresh beginnings.

• Craft a Bride’s cross which can be hung for protection above doors. On the night before Bride's Day, families would gather around to feast after gathering. After the evening's feast, the family would weave crosses from materials collected that day. Crosses were then left outside the main doorway or in outhouses or stables to receive Bride's blessing overnight. Watch a video on how to make your own Bride's Cross
  ‍
• Similarly, a tradition in the Highlands is to put a strip of cloth or ribbon outside tonight for Bride to bless. Children are encouraged to notice if the cloth has grown the next morning, as Bride's mantle did in the legend of her own mantle.
  ‍
• It is also said that if you collect dew before dawn on that cloth, you can keep the dew and the cloth for its healing properties throughout the year — the dew on Bride’s Day is good for your complexion!
  ‍
• As a water deity, there were many healing springs and well dedicated to her throughout Britain. At this time of year, visiting holy wells and springs - this is a seasonally-appropriate tradition because wells and springs are at their fullest around this seasonal time of year.

• A white candle could also be dedicated specifically to the Saint and kept on her altar. Better still, a white candle with three wicks.
  ‍
• Milk libations are also good thing to do on this day, or leave some milk out for her the night before.

‍

Pilgrimage connections to St Bride

If you are interested in collecting rushes, try visiting routes such as The Old Way Havant to Chichester, or Winchelsea to Appledore to find wetland rushes. Or any of the routes in East Anglia. They grow commonly all over the country in wet woodlands, marshes, ditches and damp grasslands.

Or search Google for "wetlands near me" and then search our map by location to see if there's a pilgrimage path nearby. Be sure to forage responsibly and mind your footing.

Visit St Bride’s Well in London, located behind St Bride’s Church on the London Sovereign Pilgrimage. The well is also next to, and the name of, the site of the first women’s prison. This is significant because now 'Bridewell' is short for a women's prison. The church’s iconic steeple is said to have inspired the wedding cake!

St Bride’s Bay in Pembrokeshire is touched by the Wexford-Pembrokeshire Pilgrim Way — a stunning 162-mile route.

You can find Bride's Mound in Glastonbury — 14th century chronicler John of Glastonbury indicated that Bridget visited Glastonbury in 488AD from Ireland.

To learn more about Brigid / St Bride go to Druidry.org, a site absolutely full of fascinating detail.