Brigid’s Cross Necklace

Description

Brigid’s cross, Brighid’s cross, or Brigit’s cross, or (in Gaelic) Crosóg Brighde is associated with Brigid of Kildare (Irish: Naomh Bhríde) (451-525 AD), one of the patron saints of Ireland along with St. Patrick and St. Columba. Her feast day is on February 1, the traditional first day of spring in Ireland. Brigid is also the name of a Celtic fire-goddess associated with the feast of Imbolc and the practice of making a Brigid’s cross may have derived from the pagan sun wheel. It is usually made from rushes and contains a woven square in the centre with four radials tied at the ends. In Christian mythology, St. Brigid wove this form of cross at the deathbed of a pagan lord, who upon hearing what the cross meant, asked to be baptized. According to tradition a new cross is made each Saint Brigid’s Day, and the old one is burned to protect the house from fire.