A Hymn Dedicated to St. Brigid of Kildare

St. Brigid, or Naomh Bríd in Irish, is a 5^th century Irish saint and is considered one of the patron saints of Ireland, including Saints Patrick and Columba. While not much is known about her life, the saint has been recorded to be the daughter of an enslaved Christian woman named Broicsech and Dubhthach, a clan chief in Leinster. In her hagiography, there are many miracles attributed to pertaining largely to feeding the poor and healing. She became a consecrated virgin by Saint Mac Caille, Bishop of Cruachán Brí Éile, and later became an abbess by St Mél of Ardagh at Mág Tulach.

The following hymn Brigit Be Bithmaith, or “Brigid, Ever-Good Woman” is one of several hymns found in the Irish Liber Hymnorum dedicated to the titular saint. As these hymns were grouped together, it indicates that they were sung as part of her feast day. To commemorate St. Brigid’s Day – Lá Fhéile Bríde or Imbolc depending on context – both an Old Gaelic and English translation are provided, offering the opportunity to read the poem in its original language while understanding its pious message.

Brigit Be Bithmaith (Old Gaelic)

Brigit be bith-maith

breo orda oiblech,

donfe do’n bith-laith

in grian tind taidlech.

Ronsoera Brigit

sech drungu demna,

roroena reunn

catha cach thedma.

Dorodba innunn

ar colla císu

in chroeb co mblathaib

in mathair Ísu.

Ind fhir-óg inmain

co n-orddain adbail,

biam soer cech inbaid

la’m nóeb do Laignib.

Leth-cholba flatha

la Patraic prímda;

in tlacht uas ligdaib

ind rigan rígda.

Robbe tiar sinit

ar cuirp hic-cilicc;

dia rath ronbroena,

ronsoera Brigit.

Brigit bé.

Brigit Be Bithmaith (English translation)

Brigit be ever-good,
A splendid, shining flame,
She will bring to the world
The bright, radiant sun.

Brigit will defend us
Against the hosts of demons,
She will drive away
The battles of every affliction.

She has chosen chastity
For the love of Christ,
Like a branch with blossoms,
The mother of Jesus.

This beloved young woman
With great honor,
We shall be free in every age
By the hand of the holy one of Leinster.

A pillar of the kingdom
With Patrick the foremost;
The splendid glory above the tombs,
The royal queen.

She will rest in the west,
Her body in the grave;
By her grace, may she protect us,
May Brigit defend us.

Brigit the woman.

(Poem attributed to St. Brigid herself)
I’d like to give a lake of beer to God.
I’d love the heavenly
Host to be tippling there
For all eternity.
I’d love the men of Heaven to live with me,
To dance and sing.
If they wanted, I’d put at their disposal
Vats of suffering.
White cups of love I’d give them
With a heart and a half;
Sweet pitchers of mercy I’d offer
To every man.
I’d make Heaven a cheerful spot
Because the happy heart is true.
I’d make the men contented for their own sake.
I’d like Jesus to love me too.
I’d like the people of heaven to gather
From all the parishes around.
I’d give a special welcome to the women,
The three Marys of great renown.
I’d sit with the men, the women and God
There by the lake of beer.
We’d be drinking good health forever
And every drop would be a prayer.

O Glorious St. Brigid, Mother of the Churches of Erin, patroness of our missionary race, wherever their lot may be cast, be thou our guide in the paths of virtue, protect us amid temptation, shield us from danger. Preserve to us the heritage of chastity and temperance; keep ever brightly burning on the altar of our hearts the sacred Fire of Faith, Charity, and Hope, that thus we may emulate the ancient piety of Ireland’s children, and the Church of Erin may shine with peerless glory as of old. Thou wert styled by our fathers ” The Mary of Erin,” secure for us by thy prayers the all-powerful protection of the Blessed Virgin, that we may be numbered here among her most fervent clients, and may hereafter merit a place together with Thee and the countless Saints of Ireland, in the ranks of her triumphant children in Paradise. Amen.

Dear St. Brigid, brilliant star of sanctity in the early days of our Irish faith and love for the omnipotent God Who has never forsaken us, we look up to you now in earnest, hopeful prayer. By your glorious sacrifice of earthly riches, joys and affections obtain for us grace to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His justice” with constant trust in His fatherly care. By your life of laborious charity to the poor, the sick, the many seekers for light and comfort, obtain for us grace to be God’s helpers to the utmost of our power during our stay on earth, looking forward, as you did, to our life with Him during eternity. By the sanctified peace of your death-bed, obtain for us that we may receive the fullness of pardon and peace when the hour comes that will summon us to the judgment seat of our just and most merciful Lord. Amen.

The feast is also known as "the holy meeting" or"hypapanthe", from the Greek for "to go forth to meet".

The feast is also called Candlemas, because it was celebrated by candlelight to express Simeon's testimony about Jesus Christ:"light for revelation to the nations".

It's also called the Feast of the Purification because, forty days after the Lord's birth, the Virgin Mary came to the Temple to purify herself, according to the law of Moses.

Jesus was presented to the Temple by Mary and Joseph, and met the old man Simeon and the prophetess Anna, who were in the Temple at the time.

The Holy Encounter is that of God and his people, foreshadowing the liturgical encounter.

"Every soul should be a Temple of God, where Mary brings Jesus. And each of us, like Simeon, should take the child in his arms and say to the Father: 'My eyes have seen your salvation'.

Simeon's prayer, "Let your servant go in peace", not only means that the one who has seen Jesus and held him in his arms can now leave this life, die in peace. It also means for us that, having seen and touched the Savior, we are delivered from the bondage of sin and can depart in peace from the kingdom of evil."

Excerpt from: L'An de grâce du Seigneur, Père Lev Gillet Editions du Cerf.

This feast existed in Jerusalem from the first half of the 4th century, and was extended to the entire Byzantine Empire by Justinian I in 542.

In 472, Pope Gelasius I organized torchlight processions on February 2, taking over the pagan rites of the "Roman parentalia" for the Church.

The Roman festival of Candelabrum Festa was a celebration of light and of Proserpina, the goddess of light, who had been abducted by Pluto, the god of the underworld.

Proserpina spent six months of the year at her husband's side as Queen of the Underworld, in autumn and winter. For the remaining six months, she resided on Earth, helping her mother Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and harvests, with spring and summer.

During the Candelabra festival, the Romans lit candles at midnight as a sign of purification,

February, moreover, takes its name from the Latin verb februare, "to purify".

This is why Christianity would have placed the feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary at this time. The purification in question is that of emerging from the "winter darkness".

And the pancakes?

Pancakes then arrived in the West under the influence of the Celts, the pancake symbolizing the solar wheel and the gift made to the divinities to prevent the wheat, stored in stockpiles, from spoiling.

Pancakes, which are associated with this festival in the West, are also found in the traditional blini of dairy week (carnival) in Russia.

Clearly, this round shape also harks back to pagan traditions and recalls the return of the sun in spring...

Two other explanations:

• In Rome, cereal cakes were eaten in honor of the goddess Proserpine.
• Many pilgrims were in Rome for the celebration of Jesus' presentation in the Temple. They had to be received, especially as some had left Jerusalem hungry. Pope Gelasius I asked that round pancakes be made to feed the crowds. Thus was born the tradition of pancakes.

Candlemas

Etymologically, Candlemas comes from the Latin "candelorum" meaning "candles".

Candlemas is therefore the Christian festival of candles, reminding us that Jesus is the "Light of Israel".

Candlemas, from its Celtic name "Imbolc", was originally a pagan festival of rebirth, fertility and light.

It was celebrated on the night of February 1 to 2, when the days began to lengthen.

Peasants processioned through their fields, carrying torches and praying to the goddess Brigid to purify them before sowing.

The year's surplus flour was then used... to make pancakes!

From Antiquity to the Middle Ages, the Germans, Scandinavians and Celts - to a lesser extent - also celebrated the emergence from hibernation of the Bear, then considered the king of animals.

People dressed up or dressed in drag to celebrate the lengthening of the days.

Until the 18th century, Candlemas was known as "chandelours" in many regions (particularly in the mountains) where the cult of the Bear was still alive and well.

There's a belief in many countries that a bear emerges from its den on Candlemas Day. If the weather is fine and the sun is high in the sky, he quickly returns to his long sleep. Because the bear knows that the good weather won't last.

A nursery rhyme says that if the weather is fine on February 2, the bear will go back into hibernation for 40 days, and that the Candlemas sun "heralds winter and misfortune."

For Christians, February 1 marks the feast of Saint Brigid of Ireland.

The perpetual fire at Kildare Abbey, founded by Saint Brigid, is a continuation of an earlier cult linked to the goddess Brigit.

The Topographia Hibernica II specifies that only women are allowed to fan the fire.

This cult of divine fire is linked to the original nature of the goddess, Aurora, "mother of the red (dark) Sun". Rúadán, who founded her three main functions as patroness of blacksmiths (the "arts of fire"), physicians and poets.

These three functions were passed on to Saint Brigid, patron saint of poets, craftsmen and women in childbirth.