Happy St. Patrick's Day

I love St. Patrick's day...corned beef and cabbage, leprechauns, pots of gold, four leaf clovers, and everything green. Probably because I am part Irish and descend from Maggie Maloney. I actually like all holidays and changing my table to celebrate. I change my table and my powder bathroom every month just for the sheer fun of it. This is my March table.

But in case you didn't know the history of St. Patrick's Day.....here it is:

"What day requires a person to wear a certain color or risk being pinched? Yes, of course, it is our beloved St. Patrick’s Day celebrated March 17, which is the anniversary of the death or
St. Patrick. The holiday is known to us for the wearing of the green, baked potatoes or corn beef and cabbage and green beverage. Eyeee, but what do we all really know about this man St. Patrick and
the day that is so widely celebrated?

Records were not kept well back in the day, so an accurate history is hard to piece together. Over the years, the common facts known about the Saint are that, Patrick, possibly named Kilpatrick was born near Dumbarton, in Scotland, in the year 387; died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, 17 March, 461. He grew up in an estate as his family was said to have some wealth. When Patrick was yet a lad of about 14, he was captured during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. Ireland at this time was a land of Druids and pagans. He learned the language and practices of the people who held him. Patrick with long periods of solitude turned to the practices of his family which was Christianity. Thus led Patrick to pray and to become familiar with God.

Around the age of 20, Patrick is said to have been led by God to escape his captors and return to Scotland. Once there he began training for the Priesthood and evidentially returned to Ireland to bring Christianity to the land. He was successful in converting Ireland and helped build many churches. Today St. Patrick in the world’s most popular saint.

It is hard to believe but the first St. Patrick Day parade took place not in Ireland but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots. Today, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore and Russia although North America has the largest productions.

In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick's Day has traditionally been a religious occasion falling during the lential season. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17.
Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use St. Patrick's Day as an opportunity to drive tourism and showcase Ireland to the rest of the world. Last year, close to one million people took part in Ireland 's St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin, a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions, and fireworks shows.

Now lads and lassies you may say that is all fine and dandy but what of all the St Patty’s Day traditions and ledgens? They have evolved over the years a little at a time. The Shamrock has become a big symbol. It is thought St Patrick used the three leafed plant to help the pagans understand the holy trinity. The shamrock being green began the tradition of the green while a four leaf clover is considered to bring luck and transformed for us to grasp the little morsel to obtain the luck of the Irish.

Kissing a blarney stone comes from the Blarney castle in Blarney. The stone set in the foundation of the castle is said to hold a spell. Any one that will kiss it will be blessed with eloquent speech. As for other traditions, American school children adopted the pinch for not wearing green. At my elementary school it became the custom to hide your green as in wearing green socks or underwear. It was a great joy to divulge your green attire after the pinch and get to give a free pinch to pincher. Now I wonder if there really was green underwear or if that was muse.

Now American assumed corn beef and cabbage was the dish of the Irish; however cabbage and bacon was the tradition food on St. Patty’s day in Ireland. The cabbage and bacon dish was really a mute option as the holiday is celebrated during lent which generally means fasting from meat. A lass! Eating was minimized so drinking became associated with the day. Along those lines there is a tale imbibing alcohol on St. Patrick's Day from an old Irish legend. As the story goes, St. Patrick was served a measure of WHISKEY that was considerably less than full. St Pat took the opportunity to teach the bar keep a lesson by telling the man a monstrous devil lived in his cellar and fed on his dishonesty. In order to banish him he must change his ways. The bar keeper did and upon his return St. Patrick banished the demon and proclaiming everyone should have a drop of the “hard stuff” on the feast day. This custom is known as Pota Phadraig or “Patrick’s Pot”. It is known as “drowning the shamrock” because it is customary to float a leaf of the plant in the whiskey before downing the shot. This legend would help us see where the green beverages originated.

On March 17t, be my guest to kiss the blarney stone but I’d suggest looking for a nice guy or gal, depending on your gender, sporting a T-shirt informing you they are Irish. While you take a draw of your green beverage be ware it could make you see visions of leprechauns. I’d bet my lucky four leaf clover that they would even lead you to a pot of gold. But then this could all be blarney!"

So if you come to my house in March.....you will be welcome and you may see one of my favorite quotes :

Leprechauns, castles, good luck and laughter
Lullabies, dreams, and love ever after.
Poems and songs with pipes and drums
A thousand welcomes when anyone comes.
~Author Unknown

Have a fun day on Tuesday and don't forget to wear green.

I will be having my Recipe Club over for an Irish Green Meal.