Traditionally, on the eve of the Feast of St. Brigid, the man of the house would go out collecting the rushes and bring them back before the sun had set on the 31st January. He would announce three times an invocation to St. Brigid and the family would respond. The youngest child would carry them into the house.

Once the crosses were made they were left by the window for St. Brigid to bless, along with a blue cloth and red piece of material. Miracle cures of the blue cloth include taking splinters out, saving people from drowning and healings. The red cloth has been said to cure sore tooth’s and headaches. The St. Brigid crosses were kept in the house throughout the year as a protection for the family and to ward off the devil.

Children used to dress up and house call saying, “give us some money to honour the night”, singing songs and wearing white gowns with red crosses painted on their faces.

Relief carving of St. Brigid milking a cow are often seen near farms as she is said to be particularly effective in ensuring a good churn.

Visiting neighbours especially on this night was common. Baking cakes or buns in the shape of a cross were also common ways of honouring the feast.

Holy water collected from St. Brigid Well was also sprinkled around the home and on the perimeter of the field for protection and to keep evil spirits away.

Below is a folk song by Catherine Ann Cullen that’s easy for children to learn,

The Story of Brigid’s Cloak

There was a wise woman, we’re all agreed,
some call her Brigid, some call her Bríd.
She grew up kind and she liked a joke
and she always wore a wee small cloak.

About fifteen hundred years ago,
this strong woman to Kildare did go,
She grew up kind and she liked a joke
and she always wore a wee small cloak.

Now the King of Leinster had fields galore,
So Brigid went knocking on his castle door,
“Would you give us a field by the old oak tree,
to build a church for my friends and me?”

Well the mean old king he gave a roar,
saying, “What kind of fool do you take me for?
‘cos nobody gets as rich as me,
by giving their fields to the poor for free!”

So Brigid smiled “Would you grant instead,
the land as far as my cloak will spread?”
The king laughed loudly at her joke,
‘cos she wouldn’t cover much with her wee small cloak.

To see how far the cloak would reach,
Her four best friends took a corner each.
When she shouted, “Go!” they all set forth,
waking east and west and south and north.

The king was so mad he began to choke,
and out of his ears came puffs of smoke.
His mean old heart it nearly broke,
when he saw the measure of Brigid’s cloak.

But his heart was changed by Brigid’s power,
And his men built her chapel with a tall bell tower.
Now they call it Cill Dara, the church of the oak,
On the land that was covered by Brigid’s cloak.