A Brief Word on Candlemas and St. Brigid's Day

Detail from "St. Brigid of Kildare" icon by Cheryl Ann Pituch

Dear Readers,

     A Joyous Brigidstide to you all!  This is the period of the year I call "Brigidstide," from February 1 to February 14.  Why do I call it this?  February 1 is the feast day of St. Brigid of Kildare on the Gregorian Calendar, and February 14 is her feast on the Julian Calendar.  It's a great time of year to reflect upon the promises of spring, spiritually and physically: (1) spiritual renewal through Christ and the call to re-dedicate ourselves to Him at the midpoint between winter and spring; and (2) physical renewal of the land symbolised by little shoots of new growth in our gardens, such as snowdrops, and ewes giving milk on farms at this time of year (at least according to what I've read about the British Isles and Ireland: admittedly, I'm no sheep farmer!).  

     We don't have to be of Celtic blood for the message of St. Brigid of Kildare to resonate with us.  The message of the Celtic saints is for the whole Church, whether our blood be Irish, English, Welsh, Scottish, Greek, Russian. . .whatever.

Photograph of snowdrops

     So, once again, the wheel of the Church Year turns as we transition from the feasts of the Nativity and Baptism of Our Lord, into St. Brigid’s Day (Feb. 1 or Feb. 14 O.S.) and Candlemas (the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Feb. 2 or Feb. 15 O.S.).  Traditionally, in the agricultural, pre-industrial traditions of Ireland and the British Isles, this is the time of year when winter begins to yield a slight promise of spring.  On the calendar, it is the halfway point between the official coming of winter between December 21 and 25, and the coming of spring in March.  

     In 10^th-century Irish literature and poetry, the day of February 1 is referred to not only as St. Brigid’s Day, but also the holiday of Imbolc (also spelled variously Oimelc and Imbolg).  Imbolc is Irish Gaelic for "in the belly" and refers to ewes giving birth to lambs; the other word, Oimelc, simply means "ewe's milk." Imbolc (or Oimelc) marks a day and time of year related to the lactation of sheep, when the ewes start to give their milk.  This is (and was) viewed as a sign of coming spring. Also, milk has an association with the idea of purity, which goes along with the idea of the Purification of the Virgin Mary, another name for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2. (For an account of what happened on this day, read the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2, verses 22 through 40).

     St. Brigid of Ireland converted many people to Christ, giving them new spiritual beginnings, so her feast day on February 1 also has the connotation of renewal.  I have referred to it in my translation of the Irish Gaelic hymn, "Ode to Brigid," as “Ireland’s spring in Jesus.”   But it’s also our spring in Jesus, a reminder to us that we belong to Him and can look forward to the Resurrectional season during the Spring.  As for Candlemas/Presentation/Feast of the Purification, called “Candlemas” because of the custom of having household candles blessed at church during Mass or Divine Liturgy on February 2, we have two things to think about: (1) the fact that the Theotokos and St. Joseph obeyed the law in presenting Christ at the Temple, and therefore we are called to present ourselves in turn to Christ in not only our physical temples, our churches and our bodies, but also in our hearts; (2) the light of the candle signifies the new life we have in Christ through His Incarnation, through His baptism in the Jordan, and in our own baptism.

Stone tile with St. Brigid's Cross

      These are the thoughts that come to me today, for at this time there are some transitions going on my life and the lives of some dear friends.  There are transitions going on at churches and workplaces. There are the often unlooked-for changes that often occur during the New Year, such as transitions in fiscal resources, transitions in health, and the passing away of loved ones who died over the Christmas holidays or during the Epiphany season.  Those who know me personally know that I have had a lot on my plate since the beginning of January, the culmination of earlier difficulties.

     For anyone who is unfamiliar with St. Brigid of Kildare's story, here is a Roman Catholic link that can tell you all about her as well as customs associated with her feast day.  
https://www.fisheaters.com/customstimeafterepiphany2a.html

      Here is the Eastern Orthodox Christian hagiography of St. Brigid:
http://ww1.antiochian.org/node/17477

    I leave you here with my translation of the Irish seán-nós hymn, "Ode to Brigid." Here is the lovely rendition of the song, sung by Irish singer Nóirín Ní Ríain (Noreen O'Ryan).  Below the link, I have put the words I used to set the traditional Irish melody to English words, for SATB Choir. (I have the arrangement as well, if anyone might want it.  But I have to put it into Noteworthy Composer and convert it to a PDF, because my handwriting, while neat, is not ideal for desktop publishing). The words I used here are based on my translation of the Irish text and an English Collect for St. Brigid's feast day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF0-lNmHo6s

Verse 1 (translation of the Irish text):

I sing praise to Brigid, daughter of all Ireland,

Daughter of the whole land, sing we praises to her.

Bright light within Leinster, flame of faith unwaning,

Of all Irish women, finest inspiration.

Comes the hard dark winter, cold and sharp before us,

But her feast day heralds Ireland's spring in Jesus.* 

(*Literal translation: On the day of Brigid, Ireland's spring is near).

I sing praise to Brigid, daughter of all Ireland,

Daughter of the whole land, sing we praises to her.

Verse 2 (based on the English Collect for her feast day):

God, Who graced Thy handmaid, Holy Abbess Brigid,

With the flame of Thy love, in the Holy Spirit;

Grant that we may also be a light to others,

a-flame with the Spirit, children of Light.

Through Our Lord Jesus, Who liveth and reigneth

With Thee in the Spirit, one God now and ever.

As in the beginning, now and ever shall be,

World without end. Amen.

Icon of St. Brigid, of the Brigidine Sisters

Postscript: There are many people who might read this blog article, and automatically assume that I'm trying to Christianise (British spelling) a Wiccan holiday, because Imbolc is celebrated also by Wiccans and other Neo-pagans.  However, the Christianisation of Imbolc already took place a long time ago, in the Church feasts I've mentioned, St. Brigid's Day and Candlemas.  Does the fact that this happened mean that the feast days of St. Brigid and Candlemas (the Presentation of the Lord) are less true or less valid?  No!  All it means is that the Church recognised the seeds of Truth within the pre-Christian holiday, and so they did what they so often have done regarding indigenous cultures: they acknowledged the indigenous custom and placed it in the context of the Gospel.  They saw that the idea of spiritual renewal at the midpoint between winter and spring was a good one, and could be practiced by people in the Irish culture whether they had converted to Christianity yet or not.  There is often the claim made by some people in Neo-pagan communities that the Church usurped the original Celtic and Saxon holidays in order to stamp out the indigenous cultures, but the archaeological evidence and evidence from written sources on this subject--which are mostly from the early Middle Ages, by the way--suggests that there was actually more of a healthy syncretism and exchange of spiritual ideas between the Irish pre-Christian indigenous culture and the Christian monks and nuns who took up residence in Ireland between the 5th and 6th centuries.