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When is it An Fheill Bride and what should you do?
The Scots are an intensely practical bunch. They may have second sight and never doubt that the Fae exist but when it comes to the seasons I’m willing to bet they used what they saw before them to determine the seasons.
So I was having a discussion this morning about the correct date of An Fheill Bride and a commenter mentioned it was the Pleaides.
There is only one problem with that, it rains a lot in Scotland and if you have many days of rain how do you even see the Pleaides? My contention is that they would have used what was around them like any other agricultural people. There is a branch of science/meteorology that is studying whether signs now to see how accurate they are. (The precise ology escapes me at the moment but Horticulture Magazine used to refer to it all the time.) Hence the tradition of ewe’s milk, if the sheep haven’t given birth and you don’t have lactating ewes you aren’t going to have your holiday until they do.
Below are the traditions and the Gaelic rhymes that refer to the holiday from the Carmina Gadelica, collected by Alexander Carmichael and his notes on the collecting:
| ‘Moch maduinn Bhride, Thig an nimhir as an toll, Cha bhoin mise ris an nimhir, Cha bhoin an nimhir rium.’ |
Early on Bride’s morn The serpent shall come from the hole, I will not molest the serpent, Nor will the serpent molest me. |
| La Feill na Bride, Thig nighean Imhir as a chnoc, Cha bhean mise do nighean ’S cha dean i mo lochd.’ [Imhir, ‘La Fheill Bride brisgeanach ‘Thig an nathair as an toll |
The Feast Day of the Bride, The daughter of Ivor shall come from the knoll, I will not touch the daughter of Ivor, Nor shall she harm me. On the Feast Day of Bride, The serpent will come from the hole |
The ‘daughter of Ivor’ is the serpent; and it is said that the serpent will not sting a descendant of Ivor, he having made ‘tabhar agus tuis,’ offering and incense, to it, thereby securing immunity from its sting for himself and his seed for ever.
| These lines would seem to point to serpent-worship. One of the most curious customs of Bride’s Day was the pounding of the serpent in effigy. The following scene was described to the writer by one who was present:–‘I was one of several guests in the hospitable house of Mr John Tolmie of Uignis, Skye. One
of my fellow-guests was Mrs Macleod, widow of Major Macleod of Stein, and daughter of Flora Macdonald. Mrs Macleod was known among her friends as "Major Ann." She combined the warmest of hearts with the sternest of manners, and was the admiration of old and young for her wit, wisdom, and generosity. When told that her son had fallen in a duel with the celebrated Glengarry–the Ivor MacIvor of Waverley–she exclaimed, "Math thu fein mo ghiullan! math thu fein mo ghiullan! gaol geal do mhathar fein! Is fearr bias saoidh na gras daoidh; cha bhasaich an gaisgeach ach an aon turas, ach an gealtair iomadaidh uair!"–"Good thou art my son! good thou art my son! thou the white love of thine own mother! Better the hero’s death than the craven’s life; the brave dies but once, the coward many times." In a company of noblemen and gentlemen at Dunvegan Castle, Mrs Macleod, then in her 88th year, danced the reel of Tulloch and other reels, jigs, and strathspeys as lightly as a girl in her teens. Wherever she was, all strove to show Mrs Macleod attention and to express the honour in which she was held. She accepted all these honours and attentions with grace and dignity, and without any trace of vanity or self-consciousness. One morning at breakfast at Uignis some one remarked that this was the Day of Bride. "The Day of Bride," repeated Mrs Macleod meditatively, and with a dignified bow of apology rose from the table. All watched her movements with eager curiosity. Mrs Macleod went to the fireside and took up the tongs and a bit of peat and walked out to the doorstep. She then took off her stocking and put the peat into it, and pounded it with the tongs. And as she pounded the peat on the step, she intoned a "rann," rune, only one verse of which I can remember:– On the day of Bride of the white hills The noble queen will come from the knoll, La Bride nam brig ban |
| ‘Suipeir is soillse Oidhch Fheill Bride, Cadal is soillse Oidhch Fheill Paruig.’ |
Supper and light the Night of St Bride, Sleep and light the Night of St Patrick |
The dandelion is called ‘bearnan Bride,’ the little notched of Bride, in allusion to the serrated edge of the petal. The linnet is called ‘bigein Bride,’ little bird of Bride. In Lismore the oyster-catcher is called ‘gille Bride,’ page of Bride:–
| ‘Gille Bride bochd, Gu de bhigil a th’ ort? |
Poor page of Bride, What cheeping ails thee? |
Bride is said to preside over the different seasons of the year and to bestow their functions upon them according to their respective needs. Some call January ‘am mios marbh,’ the dead month, some December, while some apply the terms, ‘na tri miosa marbh,’ the three dead months, ‘an raithe marbh,’ the dead quarter, and ‘raithe marbh na bliadhna,’ the dead quarter of the year, to the winter months when nature is asleep. Bride with her white wand is said to breathe life into the mouth of the dead Winter and to bring him to open his eyes to the tears and the smiles, the sighs and the laughter of Spring. The venom of the cold is said to tremble for its safety on Bride’s Day and to flee for its life on Patrick’s Day. There is a saying:–
| ‘Chuir Bride miar ’s an abhuinn La na Feill Bride Is dh’ fhalbh mathair ghuir an fhuachd, Is nigh i basan anns an abhuinn La na Feill Padruig Is dh’ fhalbh mathair ghin an fhuachd.’ |
Bride put her finger in the river On the Feast Day of Bride And away went the hatching mother of the cold, And she bathed her palms in the river On the Feast Day of Patrick And away went the conception mother of the cold, |
Another version says:–
| ‘Chuir Brighid a bas ann, Chuir Moire a cas ann, Chuir Padruig a chiach fhuar ann.’ (?) |
Bride put her palm in it, Mary per her foot in it, Patrick put the cold stone in it, |
| La Bride breith an earraich Thig an dearrais as an tom, Theirear "tri-bhliadhnaich" ri aighean, Bheirear gearrain chon nam fonn.’ |
The Day of Bride, the birthday of Spring, The serpent emerges from the knoll, ‘Three-years-olds’ is applied to heifers, Garrons are taken to the fields. |
In Uist the flocks are counted and dedicated to Bride on her Day.
| ‘La Fheill Bride boidheach Cunntar spreidh air mointeach. Cuirear fitheach chon na nide, ’S cuirear rithis rocais.’ |
On the Feast Day of beautiful Bride The flocks are counted on the moor. The raven goes to prepare the nest, And again goes the rook. |
| Nead air Bhrighit, ugh air Inid, ian air Chasg, Mar a bith aig an fhitheach bithidh am bas.’ |
Nest at Brigit, egg at Shrove, chick at Easter, If the raven has not he has death. |
The raven is the first bird to nest, closely followed by the mallard and the rook. It is affirmed that–
| ‘Co fad ’s a theid a ghaoth ’s an dorus La na Feill Bride, Theid an cathadh anns an dorus La na Feill Paruig.’ |
As far as the wind shall enter the door On the Feast Day of Bride, The snow shall enter the door On the Feast Day of Patrick. |
In Barra, lots are cast for the ‘iolachan iasgaich,’ fishing-banks, on Bride’s Day. These fishing-banks of the sea are as well known and as accurately defined by the fishermen of Barra as are the qualities and boundaries of their crofts on land, and they apportion them with equal care. Having ascertained among themselves the number of boats going to the long-line fishing, the people divide the banks accordingly. All go to church on St Bride’s Day. After reciting the virtues and blessings of Bride, and the examples to be drawn from her life, the priest reminds his hearers that the great God who made the land and all thereon, also made the sea and all therein, and that ‘murachan na mara agus tachar na tire,’ ‘cuilidh Chaluim agus cuilidh Mhoire,’ the wealth of sea and the plenty of land, the treasury of Columba and the treasury of Mary, are His gift to them that follow Him and call upon His name, on rocky hill or on crested wave. The priest urges upon them to avoid disputes and quarrels over their fishing, to remember the dangers of the deep and the precariousness of life, and in their fishing to remember the poor, the widow and the orphan, now left to the fatherhood of God and to the care of His people. Having come out of church, the men cast lots for the fishing-banks at the church door. After this, they disperse to their homes, all talking loudly and discussing their luck or unluck in the drawing of the lots. A stranger would be apt to think that the people were quarrelling. But it is not so. The simultaneous talking is their habit, and the loudness of their speaking is the necessity of their living among the noise of winds and waves, whether on sea or on shore. Like the people of St Kilda, the people of Barra are warmly attached to one another, the joy of one and the grief of another being the joy and grief of all.
| SLOINNTIREACHD BHRIDE | GENEALOGY OF BRIDE |
| p. 174 | p. 175 |
| SLOINNEADH na Ban-naomh Bride, Lasair dhealrach oir, muime chorr Chriosda. Bride nighinn Dughaill duinn, Mhic Aoidh, mhic Airt, nitric Cuinn, Mhic Crearair, mhic Cis, mhic Carmaig, mhic Carruinn. Gach la agus gach oidhche Cha loisg teine, grian, no gealach mi, |
THE genealogy of the holy maiden Bride, Radiant flame of gold, noble foster-mother of Christ, Bride the daughter of Dugall the brown, Son of Aodh, son of Art, son of Conn, Son of Crearar, son of Cis, son of Carina, son of Carruin. Every day and every night No fire, no sun, no moon shall burn me, |
Smooring the fire
SMALADH AN TEINE [85] |
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| p. 236 | ||
| CAIRIDH mi an tula, Mar a chaireadh Muire, Claim Bhride ’s Mhuire, Car an tula ’s car an lair, ’S car an ardraich uile. Co iad air lian a muigh? Bial Dia dh’ orduich, SMOORING THE FIREI WILL build the hearth, Who are they on the lawn without? The mouth of God ordained, |
The tree and the girl
Once upon a time there was a tree. He was an old pine tree. He’d stood there in the forest for many, many years. He’d stood in the forest through fires and floods. He’d stood there in spring and in fall. He stood there in snow and when bear and rabbits went by. He’d been standing there when people passed him wearing skins and hunting the deer with bows and he stood there now watching people build a camp for children.
He watched with great curiosity. No one had ever stayed near him for very long and so he watched. When the camp was built and tents were all put up children started to play around him. He enjoyed this. Some of them hugged him. Some sniffed him and argued whether he smelled like vanilla or butterscotch. Some leaned against them while they read books. Some just curled up at his feet. He thought that was the best.
He wondered if Gaia watched these children the way she watched over him. Gaia sometimes came to visit with him and he thought he’d talk to her about the children next time she came. Or maybe he’d just give a passing jay a message to pass on. There didn’t seem to be any great hurry.
He stood at the edge of an area that they had talks around a fire circle. He didn’t like being so close to the fire but they controlled it carefully and he really didn’t like that they had cut down a lot of his friends to use for log benches but he thought the talks were interesting some of the time and just plain silly some times.
One day a group of children came to listen to a man. He said he was a missionary. The tree didn’t know what a missionary was. The tree instinctively didn’t like this man. He was dark in a way the tree couldn’t explain just that he was dark.
A small girl leaned against the tree and got her self cozy at his feet and the tree felt happy. This little girl had chosen him all week to lean against and he had watched her go through camp. She was always humming and singing. He’d noticed she liked to sing a song called “This is my Father’s World.” He wished he could tell her it was really her Mother’s World not a Father’s World.
He hadn’t been really listening until the little girl started to push herself into his bark. He started to listen and then he started to get angry. He heard the missionary say that the world was evil. He heard the man say that it wasn’t the Father’s world it was Satan’s world and that the world was a terrible and bad place and he saw the little girl cringe and he knew he had to do something. He gathered himself together. He wanted to speak to the little girl but how? He finally decided he would try and talk to her the way he talked to Gaia. So he thought, “HE LIES!”
The little girl looked startled and turned around to study the tree and she nodded at the tree. She leaned back against the tree and he knew somehow that she no longer believed the man. She left the camp a day later and he thought he saw her again many years later but he wasn’t sure. She had grown and stretched up a lot taller but she sat against him with a smile during the night’s campfire program.
The tree never knew that that day everything had changed for that little girl. She had heard the tree. And later when she heard about Gaia she knew what she heard was true. And she always remembered the tree and thought of him fondly once in a while sometimes even when writing stories.
Adventures and Musings of an Arch Druidess 
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