The Survival and Evolution of Pre-Christian Festival

View of a river with a statue of St. Brigid in the background

View of a river in Kildare. A statue of St. Brigid in the background

Courtesy of Kildare Town Heritage Centre

View of a river with a statue of St. Brigid in the background
Courtesy of Kildare Town Heritage Centre

View of a river with a statue of St. Brigid in the background

View of a river in Kildare. A statue of St. Brigid in the background

Courtesy of Kildare Town Heritage Centre

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Other traditions, once vibrant in the pre-Christian tradition, survive in folk memory but are losing pace. St. Brigid’s Day celebrated on February 1, has its origins in a pagan festival, Imbolc, derived from the old Irish i mbolc (“in the belly”), which refers to the pregnancy of ewes. St. Brigid’s Day is a celebration of the coming of spring, the promise of renewal, and the hope of rebirth. The Christian saint Brigid probably did exist; her memory survives in folk tradition as the Abbess of Kildare, but it is a memory shrouded in legend and myth. The saint’s character was most likely confused – somewhat deliberately – with the pagan goddess Brighid. Both born of a pagan father, the saint and the goddess share many of the same characteristics and both are associated with fire, fertility, land, and creative arts. The best-known of Brigid traditions is the St. Brigid’s Cross, but other traditions include the parade of the Brideog, a specially dressed or made doll who represented the saint.

Echoes of the past cling on through calendar customs. Easter, celebrated as the death and resurrection of the Christian saviour Jesus Christ, is firmly linked to the pagan goddess Oestre; the motifs of the Easter bunny (rabbit) delivering eggs being a symbol of a notably fertile animal delivering fertility. The origin of Easter eggs is somewhat complex. The bunny originated in Germanic folklore as an Easter hare; the idea seems to have spread from there to become associated with the abundance of uneaten eggs that had accumulated over the Lenten period, during which their consumption had been restricted. From here developed the idea of chocolate eggs. One custom which remains popular at Easter time is egg hunts, where eggs are hidden for children to find.

Meanwhile, the resurrection of Jesus can be associated with the ancient spring renewal motifs found in narratives pertaining to Brighid/ St. Brigid.