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35 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Intro – things to say
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1. Many festivals around the year
2. Today generally based around christianity 3. But had roots in pre-christian festivals 4. These were generally based around important times in the planting season 5. Two such festivals were Imbolc, or St. Brighid's day and Lughnasa |
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General things to say about St. Brigid's day
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1. General outline of the day
2. Bríd vs. Brigid 3. Christian Customs 4. Pre-Christian Origins |
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General outline of St. Brigid's Day
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1. Halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox
2. Originally Imbolc 3. Time of fertility – welcoming the beginning of spring |
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Things to say in the Goddess Bríd vs. St. Brigid category
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1. Intro – First we gotta say a few things about St. Brigid
2. Scholarly opinion 3. Outline of goddess 4. Outline of saint |
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Scholarly Opinion on Goddess Bríd vs. St. Brigid
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1. Sharon P. Macleod says that the goddess was probably inspiration for the saint
2. Prionsias Mac Cana says, in his book "Celtic Mythology" that the two are virtually inseparable |
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Outline of the goddess Bríd
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1. Goddess of knowledge, healing, metal work and poetry
2. 3 Bríds who more or less came together to form a general mother figure and goddess of all things – Bríd more or less became a synonym for "goddess" (Mac Cana) 3. Associated with fertility, abundance and protection (Mac Cana) 4. Called on for help in birthing rites (Mac Cana) |
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Outline of saint Brigid
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1. Lived in about 600
2. Called the "Mary of the Irish" 3. Patron saint of farm animals and crops 4. Said to have grown up in a druid's household (so pre-christian priest) and to have been fed the milk of otherworld cows (Mac Leod) 5. Symbol of abundance – said her cows could produce a lake of milk, her larder was never empty and a scoop of her malt could produce Easter ale for 17 churches (Mac Leod) |
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Christianity on St. Brigids Day – Overview
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1. Known best as the feast day of St. Brigid
2. Fertility and procreation 3. Celebrated with Milk and butter 4. St Brigid's Crosses 5. Girdle 6. Brideog |
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More about fertility and procreation on St. Brigid's Day
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1. Brigid associated with ferility for both pagans and christians (S. Ó Catháin, "The Festival of Brigit")
2. New sheep began appearing 3. Sheep gave birth and thus milk as well – and they were able to produce milk even on skimpy winter grass (MacLeod) |
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More about milk and butter on St. Brigid's day
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1. Tradition said that she was born as her mother was bringing new milk into the druid's house at sunrise
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More about St. Brigid's crosses
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1. Traditional diamond crosses
2. Made out of rushes on the eve of the festival 3. Had to have them on the doorstep before sundown Cite E. Foley |
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More about the Girdle
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1. Boys carried it and recited a rhyme on entering the house
2. About 12 feet accross, 2 feet high, 1 foot wide 3. Had a cross on it & decorated by pieces of ribbon or cloth 4. People kissed it and went through 3 times, placing right foot through first Cite Foley again |
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More about the Brideog
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1. Also called a Biddy
2. Effigy stuffed with straw 3. Boys and girls wore masks and dressed up 4. Men wore women's clothes and tall straw hats 5. Blew horn before getting to house 6. Danced in each house before leaving 7. Woman of the house stuck a pin in the Brideog 8. People generally followed it and then, after arriving at the house where the biddy was made, broke up and had a dance |
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Pre-christian origins of St. Brigid's day
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1. Imbolc – marked the first day of spring
2. Bríd associated with the same things as St. Brigid 3. Brigid clearly based on Bríd figure so significant that fertility, milk, etc. relevant here. Shows clear pre-christian origins |
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Lughnasa – things to talk about
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1. General outline
2. General customs 3. Mayo 4. Dingle 5. Westmeath 6. Donegal 7. Summary of general themes |
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Lughnasa – general outline
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1. Harvest festival
2. Falls at the beginning of august |
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General customs
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1. Dug new potatoes (R.H. Buchanan, "Calendar Customs")
2. Religious pilgrims accompanied by festival and fair 3. Blends religious and non-religious customs 4. Garland sunday (an unmarried woman would create a garland and a young man would carry it up to a churchyard. Then flowers would be strewn over new graves with “weeping and wailing” (Buchanan) ) 5. Festivals generally held on hilltops – both Christian and pre-Christian significance, since Lughnasa was thought to be originally a celebration of the god Lugh, and his festivals were generally held on hilltops |
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Christian customs in Mayo during Lughnasa
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1. Annual pilgrimage in Co. Mayo to the top of Croagh Patrick
2. First completes ‘the rounds’ at Leacht Mionnáin 3. Then ascends the path called Casán Phádraig 4. At top, kneels and says 7 Our Fathers, 7 hail Mary’s, and one Credo 5. Now there is a new chapel, but in the old days entered the ruins and said 15 Our Fathers and 15 Hail Mary’s in addition to the Credo, plus left an offering |
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Christian customs in Dingle during Lughnasa
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1. A similar pilgrimage made at Mt. Brandon, in Dingle (Mac Neill)
2. Rounds there meant praying at the ruined oratory called Teampaillín Bréanainn at the highest part of the mountain 3. Saying the rosary whilst encircling that, the stone pillar known as Leac na nDrom and the mounds (or graves) known as na hUaigheanna, 9 times 4. And then taking a drink from the well 5. Standing with back to the pillar stone thought to help cure backaches |
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Non-Christian customs in Dingle during Lughnasa
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1. After this there is a festival
2. Singing 3. Dancing 4. Sports 5. Food and Drink 6. Faction fighting – although if this got out of control, the priest would keep the fighters apart and have them say the rosary |
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Who talked about the Lughnasa customs in Westmeath?
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Henry Piers, 1682, talking about Loch Derravaragh
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What were the Christian Lughnasa customs in Westmeath?
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1. Pilgrimages to atone for sins
2. First made with no shoes 3. Then devotions on their knees in the stone and gravel until chapel reached 4. Then no longer worried for sing and could go a-partying! 5. Time of starting over – eager to begin the new |
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What were the non-Christian Lughnasa customs in Westmeath?
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1. Dancing and “carousing”
2. Lots of ale drunk 3. Bagpipes |
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Where were the Lughnasa customs in Donegal?
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Loughsalt
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And were the donegal Lughnasa customs christian?
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Nope
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And what were the Donegal Lughnasa customs?
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1. Dancing
2. Singing/fiddling 3. Games 4. Lots of courtship – common time to arrange marriages |
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General themes of Lughnasa customs?
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1. New beginnings (potatoes, marriages, fun after atoning for sin)
2. Blending the sacred with the profane |
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Compare and Contrast – points to make
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1. Similarities
2. Differences |
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Similarities – outline
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1. Many customs rooted in Christian tradition
2. But rooted in pre-Christian traditions of celebrating times of plenty throughout the year 3. And also many traditions rooted very much outside or contrary to the Christian faith 4. Customs associated with new beginnings |
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Customs rooted in Christian tradition – details
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1. St. Brigids - crosses and prayer
2. Lughnasa – pilgrimages |
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Rooted in pre-Christian traditions of celebrating times of plenty in the agricultural year – details
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1. St. Brigids – beginning of spring, nearing planting season, milking season and the end of winter
2. Lughnasa – beginning of crops, time of plenty |
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Traditions very much outside or contrary to the Christian faith – details
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1. St. Brigids – roots in paganism
2. Lughnasa – lots of dancing, fighting, drinking – not necessarily anti religion but firmly in the realm of the profane |
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Customs associated with beginnings – details
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1. St. Brigid’s – with new animals, spring, planting, etc
2. Lughnasa – new potatoes, marriages, fresh start after sins atoned for |
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Differences in the Lughnasa customs
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More secular fun associated with Lughnasa
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More secular fun associated with Lughnasa – details
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Non-Christianity in St. Brigids day is still sacred, just based in earlier tradition
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