A way of thanking female neighbours and friends for their gifts by putting them on display.   It was held in the bride’s home for two days, both in the afternoon and evening.  A wide selection of home baking was served along with sandwiches and tea.

Dreams were often interpreted to suit the dreamer.  They were supposed to reveal the future and appear in mate selection customs.  If a girl picked up a root which grew beneath the mugwort plant, placed it on her pillow and slept on it, she would dream of her future husband.

Apples were a favourite form of divination. One would sit alone in front of a mirror at midnight, cut an apple into nine pieces, stand with your back to the mirror, point each of eight pieces towards the left shoulder, and then eat them. 

Briganta, or Brigit, was the Celtic Goddess of Fire, the hearth, healing, marriage, childbirth and poetry, celebrated by a festival to welcome the spring. It was usually held on the first day of February.

Briganta was renamed Bride and the feast became the Day of Bride. It was thought she spent the winter imprisoned within Ben Nevis by the Cailleach or Blue Hag.  The Cailleach destroyed everything on earth and brought darkness over the land.