March 18, 2017

Saint Sheelah's Day

Did you get your fill of green beer and corned beef? I hope you are not hung over, because today, Saint Sheelah's Day, is the big holiday, or should be!

Did you know that St. Patrick was married? Maybe you did, but, did you know that pre-famine, Saint Sheelah's Day was celebrated on March 18, the day after Saint Patrick's Day.

If you are from Nova Scotia, you may have referenced her in March weather.

Courtesy of Irish Central
There is a call to bring her relevance back, not just to Ireland but to women across the world, especially the Catholic world. Read about it on the Mythical Ireland blog.

4 comments:

  1. I had no idea! This is so interesting.

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  2. Interesting to rediscover forgotten women and their stories. One of the reasons I love Clarissa Pinkola-Estes book Untie The Strong Woman.

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  3. I'm not surprised at all to learn of St Sheelah's Day. There is a long and ancient tradition of the Divine Feminine in Celtic spirituality. When Ireland was christianized, these ancient goddesses often went "underground" as Saints. St Brigid is the most famous example. And clearly St Sheelah was of that tradition as well. Reverence for the Divine Feminine explains the origin of the Celtic Cross as well -- the linear, male cross set against the circular, feminine ring that encloses it.

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    Replies
    1. "Reverence for the Divine Feminine..." I really love that phrase. Thank you.

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