Crossing borders with the Festival of Brigid

Crossing borders with the Festival of Brigid

Bibliographic description

title:	Crossing borders with the Festival of Brigid
author:	Gierek Bożena
editor:	Parusheva Dobrinka, Gergova Lina
institution:	Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies, Ethnographic Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Book title:	Migrations
date of publication:	2014
place of publication : name of publisher:	Sofia : Paradigma
pages:	402-425
series:	The Yearbook of the SIEF Working Group on The Ritual Year, ISSN 2228-1347; 8
notes:	Artykuł w publikacji zbiorowej recenzowanej w trybie "peer-review" oparty na wystąpieniu na konferencji międzynarodowej
language:	English
Book language:	English
abstract in english:	The Brigid that I refer to here is an Irish saint who is said to have lived in the 5th-6th centuries. She is one of the most important Irish saints, together with Patrick and Columcille. Historical documents concerning her are so scant that some scholars even doubt that she ever existed. The fact that the Christian saint shares many features with the pagan Celtic goddess Brigit might support these doubts. However, these doubts have never stopped Irish people from celebrating the saint’s feast – Féile Bride, which falls on 1 February. The same day marks one of the four biggest Celtic festivals called Imbolg (Oímelc), which used to open the spring time. The purpose of this article is to present how and why the festival of Brigid is celebrated nowadays (also to point to the common features with the pagan feast), mainly in Ireland. However, in the conclusions I refer to the celebrations outside that country, giving an unusual example from Poland. While doing this I show the process of migration of symbols within one country and through centuries. I use the materials that I received from the Irish Institute for Feminism and Religion in Dublin, as well from the main cult centre of St. Brigid in Kildare. I also draw from my direct observations and conversations with participants in the festivals of Brigid in Athenry (Ireland) in 1999 and in Kraków (Poland) in 2010, as well from an interview with sister Mary Minehan from Kildare.
keywords in english:	Brigit, celebration, Celtic, feast, festival, goddness, Imbolc, pagan, rituals, saint, spring
number of pulisher's sheets:	1,2
departmental parameterization:	5
affiliation:	Wydział Filozoficzny : Katedra Porównawczych Studiów Cywilizacji
type:	chapter
subtype:	academic paper