A cross woven from rushes or straw, with a woven square at its centre and four arms. In Ireland people make it around St Brigid’s Day, on 31 January and 1 February, and hang it from a roof beam or over the door.
Record, Folk and Modern are kept apart, and each one carries its source.
In Ireland, people weave a cross of rushes or straw on 31 January and 1 February, around St Brigid’s Day. They hang it from a roof beam or over the door, asking St Brigid to look kindly on the household.
To verify: The earliest dated description of the custom; our files give no date
The National Museum of Ireland keeps woven Brigid’s crosses of rush and straw in its collection. The custom is a living one in Irish and Catholic life, and crosses are still woven for St Brigid and hung in homes.
To verify: Which crosses the National Museum of Ireland holds, with their dates and places
Some shops say the cross keeps fire and harm away from the house. That is the sellers’ wording; the custom we found is about asking St Brigid’s kindness for the home. Our version keeps the true woven form, in metal or as a picture of rush.
