(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)
Thursday, March 17, 2016 is St. Patrick's Day!
Do you
always wear green on St. Patrick’s Day? Did
you know that originally at the first celebrations the color was actually
blue?
The blue has been long forgotten in honor of the fact that Ireland is the Emerald Isle and Ireland’s flag is green, and St. Patrick used the green 3-leafed clovers to teach. An old legend also goes that wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns who will pinch you if they can see you.
The blue has been long forgotten in honor of the fact that Ireland is the Emerald Isle and Ireland’s flag is green, and St. Patrick used the green 3-leafed clovers to teach. An old legend also goes that wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns who will pinch you if they can see you.
For the
hidden, not often shared, educational value of the green; we do know that wearing green commemorates the Irish Rebellion of 1798, when
the British, who were oppressing Ireland, declared that wearing a shamrock (or
anything green) was considered a symbol of support for Irish rebellion and was
punishable by hanging. Many people were shot on sight for the offense back in
those days.
Back then green was used by the Society of United Irishmen; a political organization that was fighting for parliamentary reforms as well as a Republic for the Irish people. An Irish Republic would have ended the English rule. The wearing of the green is, therefore, a "fist in the air" act of defiance representing the brave men and women who fought for their independence.
Today things are much more civil, if you do not wear a touch of green on St Patrick's Day you get symbolically punished by getting pinched instead of getting killed. I think I like this progress!
Back then green was used by the Society of United Irishmen; a political organization that was fighting for parliamentary reforms as well as a Republic for the Irish people. An Irish Republic would have ended the English rule. The wearing of the green is, therefore, a "fist in the air" act of defiance representing the brave men and women who fought for their independence.
Today things are much more civil, if you do not wear a touch of green on St Patrick's Day you get symbolically punished by getting pinched instead of getting killed. I think I like this progress!
In the 1700's, Irish immigrants in the United States started the first St.
Patrick's Day Parade in New York City. Those old Irish traditions came to
be cherished forever after in the land of the free and the home of the brave;
making Americans enjoy this day as much if not more than they do in ole Ireland.
In the very beginning though, the original Irish Catholics noted this
day for celebrating the life and times of their patron Saint Patrick, which is
a real interesting twist of the story, considering the fact that the real St. Patrick
wasn’t even Irish. He was born in Britain around A.D. 390 to an
aristocratic Christian family, who owned a townhouse and a country villa and
plenty of slaves.
Patrick professed no interest in Christianity as a young boy. At
16 Patrick’s destiny unfolded. He was kidnapped and sent overseas to
tend sheep as a slave in the chilly mountainous countryside of Ireland for
seven years. It was during this horrible experience that Patrick met
God and became a deeply convicted Christian. It is a long and
intriguing story but according to St. Patrick’s Day lore, Patrick used the
three leaves of the shamrock to explain the Christian Holy Trinity; the Father,
The Son and The Holy Spirit.
Many traditions have evolved from this day over time, some centering
around St. Patrick and some not, some very Christian, so not so much....
In 1962 in a show of solidarity in Chicago, the city decided to dye a portion of the Chicago River green. A parade organizer for a plumber’s union noticed how a dye used to trace possible sources of river pollution had stained a fellow worker’s overalls a brilliant green. He decided why not use the dye to turn the whole river green on St. Patrick’s Day? It not only added to the celebration, but helped to keep the river healthy. The custom is still traditional in Chicago today. Many other places have taken this tradition. Fountains in cities turn green, rivers turn green, everything possible turns green!
Aside from the "green" traditions, the food and drink of the Irish have been added into the traditional events. 5.5 million
pints of Guinness beer are consumed around the world on any given day, but on
St. Patrick’s Day that number more than doubles to 13 million pints.
It seems those Irish immigrants brought this habit with them to America. This is a night when Irish pubs in both countries, as well as pubs in general, are packed. If you happen to run into a real lrishman in one of these happy establishments, he will probably tell you that St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland was at one time only a special story, and possibly a nice dinner at home. The hugeness of the day didn't really surface until the Americans turned it into parades and large community celebrations to raise money for charitable causes. They aren’t complaining in Ireland though, they have even upgraded their own celebrations in order to attract more tourists in the spring. Everyone wins, and it is really a lot of fun.
It seems those Irish immigrants brought this habit with them to America. This is a night when Irish pubs in both countries, as well as pubs in general, are packed. If you happen to run into a real lrishman in one of these happy establishments, he will probably tell you that St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland was at one time only a special story, and possibly a nice dinner at home. The hugeness of the day didn't really surface until the Americans turned it into parades and large community celebrations to raise money for charitable causes. They aren’t complaining in Ireland though, they have even upgraded their own celebrations in order to attract more tourists in the spring. Everyone wins, and it is really a lot of fun.
Do you have
a favorite Irish food that you eat on St. Patrick’s Day? You will find corned beef and cabbage in all the
finest restaurants on this day, as well as, Irish stew, colcannon and soda
bread all served up with green beer. Green icing is on every desert and all the tablescapes are, you guessed it, green.
