St. Brigids Cross

Happy Groundhog's Day, Imholc, and St. Brigid's Day. Brigid's Cross is an equal-armed cross that is a derivative of the Celtic sun wheel symbol. It is traditionally hung in the home for protection. Making one is fun project that isn't too hard and can be a lot of fun for kids. Traditionally they are made with rushes, wheat stalks, and other grasses. But you can use any straight but bendable material to make your own. Colorful pipe cleaners are great for the kids to use.


To make this cross you will need 14 reeds, some string, and any embellishments you might want to add. The traditional length of the reeds is 12 inches. If you want to make smaller ones to use as key chains jewelry remember the total length across will be the length of your materials. A wonderful tutorial complete with pictures can be found at the Fisheaters website.

Many interesting materials can be used to make these crosses. Recycled materials like magazines and boxes are fun items to use. Here is a tutorial from Gingerbread Snowflakes on how to make one out of cereal boxes.
If you would like to know more about Imholc or the Feast of St. Brigid here are some links.

• Brighid - Hearth Goddess of Ireland from About.com
• Imholc from The White Goddess
• The Life of St. Brigid by Jane Meyer

Enjoy the day and hopefully spring will be blooming in your neck of the woods soon.