Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
The Week That Really Was, Ep. 15
Hi Ricochet friends,
This week the podcast has aired a topic that has had me simmering with vexation for over a year now.
Ireland announced last year that we were getting a new bank holiday. Hurray! It would fall on the weekend after St Brigid’s Day, which seemed really meaningful. Would it be an acknowledgment of the life and achievements of one of our great Irish saints, an important medieval historical figure? Oh, you sweet summer child, as the Critical Drinker might say.
The Brigid we’re meant to commemorate is a hybrid entity, sometimes a pagan goddess and other times a lesbian nun who performed abortions. The weekend is being called Imbolc in many quarters, which is some pagan crap I can’t bring myself to read up on.
If you haven’t tuned in before, I’d really like it if you gave this one a listen.
What’s happening in Ireland is largely ignored by conservatives in the wider world, and it’s to our detriment here. We are being run by a class of people who care so desperately for the good opinion of their Progressive counterparts abroad. I would like this to work both ways. I want them called out. I want our idiot journalists and politicians exposed for what they are. These two guys have made a start.
Here’s the link: https://gript.ie/podcasts/the-week-that-really-was-15-the-5000-undocumented/
Published in Politics
Ireland is to add a new paid public holiday in February, Imbolc/St. Brigid’s Day, starting in 2023, the country’s government said Jan. 20.
The holiday is to fall on the first Monday of February unless Feb. 1 is a Friday, in which case that is to be the holiday instead.
from https://www.pagangrimoire.com/what-is-imbolc-celebration/
Once the winter solstice has passed, and we’ve celebrated Yule, the next Sabbat is Imbolc. Imbolc is the festival that begins at sundown on February 1st and ends at sundown on February 2. It is one of the eight sabbats for modern Wiccans. But, the Gaelic holiday is celebrated by many faiths.
What Is Imbolc?
Imbolc (pronounced IM-bolg or IM-bolk) is Old Irish for “in the belly.” It’s also known as Oimelc, Lady Day, and, in Christianity, Candlemas or St. Brigid’s Day. Traditionally, Imbolc represents the beginning of spring and the time when the first lambs are born. It’s the time of the year associated with pregnancy, and is the time to honor the fertility goddess Brigid.
As the days lengthen bit by bit. Imbolc is around the time this change really starts to show. The end of the day has noticeably more light, even though the trees and grass are still in winter’s grip.
The divine spark that was born in midwinter is growing, and nature is beginning to wake up. Remember the intentions for the new year you made? Now is the time to clear the way for them to grow, symbolically, and maybe literally!
Who Is Brigid?
The goddess Brigid (pronounced Breed or Breej) was the daughter of Dagda, the oldest god in the Tuatha dé Danann or Celtic pantheon. Brigid is a fertility goddess. She rules the fire of the hearth as well as the fire of imagination through poetry. She also blessed other skills that required the use of fire, like blacksmithing.
When Christiainity came to Ireland, Brigid became Saint Brigid, complete with a human history beginning around 450 A.D. in Kildare, Ireland. As a saint, she was known for feeding the poor and healing the sick. A perpetual flame that was tended for centuries by pagan priestesses, and later, by Brigidine nuns, burns in the town square of Kildare.
Where Are Imbolc’s Origins?
Imbolc originated in pre-Christian Ireland and was celebrated widely in the ancient Celtic world.
During the long winters in the North, wild garlic bursting through the snow and baby lambs were early signs of spring was on the way.
The Celts celebrated Imbolc to honor these first stirrings of life. Bonfires were lit in honor of Brigid and girls carried small dolls made of straw or oats representing the goddess from house to house to bless them. Sometimes offerings were left tied to trees near small springs called clootie wells.
Prosperity rearing its ugly head in Ireland starting a few decades ago changed the national character from a stubborn refusal to abandon their culture and heritage to a blob of whinging, FOMO, wannabe Davoisie, PC lefty weenies.
Thanks for sharing but I question its veracity. The goddess did not become St Brigid after the arrival of Christianity. The woman celebrated on February 2nd was an actual human being.
Here also is a link to the Fr Brendan Kilcoyne podcast episode mentioned by John McGuirk
https://youtu.be/Tccfyiu0Uiw
So, Ireland is celebrating a pagan festival dedicated to a mother-goddess.
Not surprising, is it? This was already a major part of Catholicism, with the worship or near-worship of Mary, but Catholicism is seriously waning in Ireland.
I think that most people who think of themselves as conservatives would tolerate witchcraft and paganism, in the name of freedom of religion.
Catholics don’t worship Mary, she is venerated.
I like that video
Should we throw the pagans in fires?
The St Brigid’s Day madness is but a wrinkle compared to the cultural misappropriation of St Patrick’s Day by the Woke, to be a celebration of everything but Ireland and Irishness, most vividly illustrated by the publicity photograph of the launch of this year’s festival, which contains a bunch of freaks and foreigners (no disrespect to the latter) and the Green Party Minister responsible in a jacket of such garish green that one would only see at a circus – appropriately. Peculiarly, a number of the people are wearing dresses in the colours of the flag of Colombia, perhaps a nod to the close relations between the IRA and FARC guerillas. I can’t think of any other explanation.
Charles Mark (View Comment
https://gript.ie/st-patricks-day-and-the-curse-of-irelands-dreary-diversity/
This is about the photo I just mentioned.
Well if they start practicing human sacrifice again, perhaps we should.
But then we would need an English Charles Napier to hang them. Wouldn’t the Irish be weird about an Englishman hanging them?
That was a good listen. So I had heard on the news over on this side of the Atlantic a positive spin, that is that Ireland was finally having a holiday for St. Brigid. My thought was, wow, that’s pretty cool. Maybe the Catholicism has not been existed out of the country altogether. I had no idea it was to be a celebration of a pagan goddess!
From Catholic Online bio of the saints for St. Brigid:
From Wikipedia
Bogus on that last sentence. To conclude that because the Christian feast followed a pagan holiday is fallacious reasoning, the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy. Because one follows the other does not mean there is a connection other than the same time. John and David in their broadcast made the same fallacious argument conceding that Christian holidays were originally pagan holidays. That is patently false. There are only four seasons in a year and twelve months. Holidays of different religions coincide by accident. The Hindu festival of Diwali is an autumn festival. It would be absurd to say the Chinese Moon Cake Festival, also in the autumn, was related. Same with the Christian/pagan holidays. Now there is a continuity of place, so that leads one to the post hoc fallacy. But if you look carefully, there were reasons for the origins of Christian holidays. Christmas was not Saturnalia.
As to St. Brigid being conflated into Brigid the pagan goddess, what a disgrace. My hopes for Ireland were dashed.
By the way, I will have to eventually tell you what is going on with the local Staten Island St. Patrick’s Day parade. From what I understand we are the only St. Patrick’s parade left in the world that excludes LGBTQ…XYZ from marching, and we are getting hell for it. But we are maintaining a valiant fight. I’ll post about this in March.
Kinda. The only evidence in scripture as to the season of the birth of Christ is that the shepherds were watching their flocks by night. The only time of year they do that is during lambing season, which is in the spring. So it is at least plausible that we are celebrating in the wrong season. I’m of the opinion that it matters more what we are celebrating rather than when.
No. The annunciation was determined to be March 25th and nine months later is December 25, the birth of Jesus.
So, there were no shepherds?
Was Jesus really born on December 25?
It’s Biblical. You have to work out the timeline through the evidence.
He’s got a particular style. I heard him speak at a conference last week. While I can’t make up my mind if I like his delivery or not, what he has to say is important.
He sounds like a cranky old man. I started sounding like a cranky old man while I was still in my 30’s, so I’m good with that.
How does he keep his legs crossed like that for so long? I’m impressed. Seriously, I like him. He’s right. I’m truly saddened over what’s happened to Ireland.
By, the way, Marjorie, what’s happened to Paddy that used to post here on Ricochet? I haven’t seen him in quite a while.
As always, you don’t know what you’re talking about Jerry. I thought Ricochet was a more intelligent site. Your comments on Catholicism just shows your ignorance. I’ll be glad to teach you if you’re interested. Otherwise you can stay with your heresy.
I’ve been surfing around his videos and I love this man! Here is one of his early videos on finding a vocation to the priesthood. It was very moving.
They actually use the reported timeline of Zechariah’s priest duty schedule and calculate 6 months from that for the visitation of Mary. The priest schedule was set by David before his death.
There are two possible dates for Zechariah’s rotation, depending on if they maintained continuity through Babylonian exile and the rebuilding of the temple or if they started afresh when they began service again.
One of those dates correlated with the December birth. The other correlates with a September birth.
Exactly! Now it is possible Zachariah was on the other rotation, but 50/50 chance it was that one. Plus it validated the other theory of the Annunciation being on March 25th, that is that Christ was supposed to have died on the day He was conceived, and Passover it was determined came in late March on the year of Christ’s death.
There’s some great imagery to the other date set, too – Mary’s visitation during the Feast of Dedication and Jesus’ birth during the Feast of Trumpets.
But I’m kind of married to the light of the world for a people walking in darkness imagery.
Yes!
I noticed that too. I’ve never had any interaction with Paddy though so I don’t know. I did wonder briefly if Paddy who’s a teacher, was in fact Enoch Burke, which would explain the absence. Paddy, if you read this I’m only joking.
I meant to include this clip earlier but it was all partying heartily—or is hardily?—here in the west of Ireland this weekend.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting this lovely young Dominican a few times. He’s a very impressive medieval scholar
https://youtu.be/p4olwrgyBiM
Wonderful! What we need is more Dominicans I call for the Dominican Option. I have found that Dominicans just preach better than all the other orders and most apologists. (Truth be told here, I am a Lay Dominican, but no where near the calmness and reasoned argumentation of professed Dominicans) Send out more Dominicans to preach in just this calm and reasoned way the Good News and the faith.