Imbolc || Brigid || Lunar New Year || Ulysses
"God made food; the devil the cooks."
-James Joyce
Brigid's cross.
It’s a busy week for holidays and anniversaries in Ireland!
The first of February in Ireland signals the start of better weather and longer days, and marks the beginning of the growing season. Imbolc is the name of the ancient Celtic festival celebrating the beginning of spring, a word which I’ve seen translated as “in the belly” and “lactation.” The snow is falling outside as I write this–we’re expecting eleven to fifteen inches of snow over the next two days–and while Punxsutawney Phil may have predicted six more weeks of winter, I find solace in the Celtic calendar and am more than happy to orient myself towards the rebirth of spring.
February 1st is also St. Brigid’s Day, or Lá Fhéile Bríde, and has just recently been made an official bank holiday in Ireland. Before Brigid was recognized as a saint and incorporated into Christianity, she was a pagan goddess and is associated with fertility, health, and fortune. She’s also the patron saint for children, cattle, and dairy products–so not unconnected with our interest in Irish food culture. (For a deep dive into the relationship between butter, women, St. Brigid, and folklore, check out this essay by Kate Ryan).
There are a number of rituals associated with the day, including the leaving out of bread or cake on a windowsill to encourage Brigid to bless the house. There is also a belief that a piece of cloth left outside overnight on St. Brigid’s Eve would be touched by the saint and given a curative power; the “brat Bríde” would be worn the following day or be given to someone who was sick or going on a potentially dangerous trip.
For those of us not able to celebrate in Ireland this year, there were a number of online events hosted by Irish embassies around the world (I recommend following them on Twitter to stay up to date on events and opportunities). In addition, Irish Screen America is streaming five online films made by Irish women filmmakers through February 5th.
The writer James Joyce reads his novel outside the National Library of Ireland.
February 1st also marks the beginning of the Year of the Tiger and the Chinese Lunar New Year. Since 2008, the city of Dublin has used the holiday to celebrate and promote Asian-Irish relationships, and you’ll find a number of online events listed on their dedicated website in addition to the live programming available in the city.
Speaking of Dublin, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that today, February 2nd, is both James Joyce’s birthday, and this year marks the one hundredth anniversary of the publication of Ulysses by independent publisher Sylvia Beach in Paris in 1922. There’s been a lot of news this week about certain communities in the US banning books–did you know that Ulysses was once banned? Some considered it both pornographic and blasphemous; if you’ve read it, you might know which parts this refers to, and if not…maybe it will make it more enticing to read?
What We're Reading:
Kate: I was the very first person to borrow the new book Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation by Paul Hawken from the local library, and was duly instructed by the librarian to let her know what I figure out after reading it. (The link above will take you to a website that shares a network of climate solutions in addition to how you can purchase the book, which is pretty cool.) Incidentally, I met Hawken once, back in the day, when I was protesting in San Francisco outside of a PacBell shareholders meeting. They were using old growth trees to make phone books--can you imagine?! (I know! Phone books! I'm old!) It's a practice that only seems more terrible with time, given how phone books have since become practically obsolete. In any event, Hawken made a point to share his support and come over to our group and thank us for being there.
I also picked up a copy of the brand new (in the US) book Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them by Dan Paladino from our local bookstore. I'm super excited to read this one for many reasons--not the least of which is that he features our dear friend, the wild fish smoker Sally Barnes in one of the chapters. Shameless plug alert: Sally is co-hosting our Wild West Cork tour in October! I'd love it if you were to join us.