Saint Bridget’s Day

On the morning of the first of February, Saint Bridget’s Day, we walked to the church to attend Mass. We had previously made St. Bridget’s crosses out of rushes and we brought them with us to church. Father Ronayne blessed our crosses with holy water. We intend to give some of our crosses to the residents of “Clúid” as a thank you for letting us walk through their property to and from school.  Have you ever made a St Bridget’s cross?

Read the instructions below and get started

You will need:                                    

16 rushes

4 small rubber bands

Scissors

Method:

1. Hold one of the rushes vertically. Fold a second rush in half as shown in the diagram.
2. Place the first vertical rush in the centre of the folded second rush.
3. Hold the centre overlap tightly between thumb and forefinger.
4. Turn the two rushes held together 90 degrees anticlockwise so that the open ends of the second rush are projecting vertically upwards.
5. Fold a third rush in half and over both parts of the second rush to lie horizontally from left to right against the first rush. Hold tight.
6. Holding the centre tightly, turn the three rushes 90 degrees anticlockwise so that the open end of the third rush is pointing upwards.
7. Fold a new rush in half over and across all the rushes pointing upwards.
8. Repeat the process of rotating all the rushes 90 degrees anticlockwise, adding a new folded rush each time until all sixteen rushes have been used up to make the cross.
9. Secure the arms of the cross with elastic bands. Trim the ends to make them all the same length. The St Bridget’s Cross is now ready to hang.