Kayleen Asbo, Ph.D
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      • Session Five: Returning to Innocence
    • 22 Days of Magdalene
    • The Mystic Path and Poetry of T.S. Eliot >
      • Week One: Prophet of Despair
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Making a Brigid Doll with Polly Paton Brown


On the eve of the Saint Brigid's s Holy day (February 1) , a  "Brideog" procession would carry a large doll around the village, stopping at houses at on the way and offering songs of celebration.  Families would offer hospitality in  the form of "Bridecakes" ( Oatcakes), ale, cider or  milky tea ( all associated with St. Brigid).  The details of the doll  had many regional variations.  Sometimes,  the doll was  a great work of art all dressed like a bride all in white. In others, the figures were simply made out of straw or wheat,  scraps of cloth or articles of old clothing.
​ A small bed was made and kept by the front door or by the hearth,  lined with flannel, felt or moss, ready to welcome Brigid  and her spirit of light and abundance into the home. 
Picture
Picture
Four variants on a "Brideog" by Polly Paton-Brown
Here are Polly's step-by-step  instructions to create  your own Brideog doll using simple materials you will likely  have already at home.  As she lovingly describes, the most important part of its creation is the setting of your own intention in your heart. What do you wish to welcome into your life in the coming year? 

You can upload and then print Pplly's instructions by selecting the downwards pointing arrow at the bottom right hand corner below.
Contact Kayleen Asbo: mythicamuse@gmail.com
  • Home
  • Pilgrimages/ Retreats
    • The Blessing Thread 1: Mary Magdalene and the Contemplative Tradition: Provence
    • Pilgrimage 2: Wales and Ireland >
      • Beginning Your Pilgrimage
      • Morning Circle
      • Schedule and Links
      • Celtic Knots and Brigid's Cross
      • Doll Making with Polly Paton Brown
      • Celtic Legends with Justin Coutts
      • Brigid's Blessing Hand Instructions
      • Recipes
    • Claiming Our Light Retreat
    • Mystical Scotland
    • From Grief to Garden: Holy Week with Mary Magdalene
  • Heroines
    • Ariadne's Thread
    • The Map of the Heroine's Path
    • The Art of Lamentation: Isis and Nepthys
  • Classes
    • Anchored in the Heart >
      • Week One: Drinking From the Well of Virtue
      • Week Two
      • Week Three
      • Week Four: Images and Visions
      • Week 6: Time and Seasons
    • Dante Retreat >
      • Welcome letter
      • Session One: Love, Loss and Longing
      • Session Two: Hot Sins
      • Session Three: Where Our Hearts Grow Cold
      • Session Four: Arriving on the Shores of Humility
      • Session Five: Returning to Innocence
    • 22 Days of Magdalene
    • The Mystic Path and Poetry of T.S. Eliot >
      • Week One: Prophet of Despair
      • Week Two: Beethoven, Dante and Eliot
      • Burnt Norton
      • East Coker
      • Dry Salvages
  • Poetry
  • Art
  • About