Being Irish I have always
regarded February 1st.
St. Brigid's Day as the start of spring.
I know others don't agree
and say it's March 1st.
Who cares what others say
– be Yer Own Man, Pat. So officially I am now out of hibernation
and looking forward to the new season.
Irish Central tells us
that St. Brigid is the patron saint of babies, blacksmiths, boatmen,
cattle farmers, children whose parents are not married, children
whose mothers are mistreated by the children's fathers, Clan Douglas,
dairymaids, dairy workers, fugitives, Ireland, Leinster, mariners,
midwives, milkmaids, nuns, poets, the poor, poultry farmers, poultry
raisers, printing presses, sailors, scholars, travellers, and
watermen. Here's a busy saint!
The day is also called
Imbolc, which was and perhaps still is the old pagan celebration,
pitched half way between mid winter and the Spring Equinox.
Then of course that memory
brings to mind how Easter Day is calculated.....the First Sunday
after the First Full Moon after the Spring Equinox.
Now I'm exhausted and
going for nap. This recovering from hibernation is tough.
