New Window Theme….

It's still a work in progress but the new theme of the window is 'Oh when the saints….' 

It was inspired by a quote I came across recently from one of the most amazing people to ever walk this earth. 

“I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.” Nelson Mandela (RIP) 

There are three saints days that are marked in Ireland one the coming weeks and with them there are lots of craft ideas. The first one is the St Brigid on the 1st of Feb. No doubt there are many schools that will make a cross but for my part I wanted to try something a little different. A cross stitch St Brigid's cross on a hessian square. It's a lovely craft idea for children of all ages and great to keep up the sewing. I like the idea of the St Brigid's cross, it is said to protect the house from fire and evil. I read somewhere that it was possibly derived from the pagan sun wheel and of course St Brigid's feast day falls on the Celtic Imblog (Imbolc) festival. So I thought I'd do a little bit of research.  

The Imblog festival was a festival of girls. The girls of the village would make a 'Bride doll' out of straw symbolising the Goddess Brigit from the last sheaf of the previous year's grain. It was carried from house to house and so brought the blessing to every home.

St Brigid of Cill Dara (Kildare) is believed to have incorporated elements from the worship of the goddess Brigit and so St Brigid's day is a welcome to the spring. I don't know about you but with this weather it doesn't feel like spring is around the corner. I was travelling from Leitrim today and the flooded fields look like they won't be receding any time soon. Anyway I found this in the internet….

'We sing a song to Brigid. Brigid brings the Spring.  Awakens all the fields and flowers, and calls the birds to sing.'

The next is of course St Valentine. Not much is known about this roman saint except for the fact that he died on the 14th of Feb. And of course the third is St Patrick but more to come on that.