St Patrick's Day
Never iron a four-leaf clover, because you don't want to press your luck.
A Wee Bit Of Fun
Saint Patrick's Day (March 17th), is an Irish holiday
honoring Saint Patrick, the missionary credited with converting
the Irish to Christianity (in the A.D. 400's).
Saint Patrick was not actually Irish. Historical sources
report that he was born around 373 A.D. in either Scotland
(near the town of Dumbarton) or in Roman Britain (the Romans
left Britain in 410 A.D.). His real name is believed to
be Maewyn Succat (he took on Patrick, or Patricus, after
he became a priest). He was kidnapped at the age of 16 by
pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland (I am not making
this up). During his 6-year captivity (he worked as a shepherd),
he began to have religious visions, and found strength in
his faith. He finally escaped (after voices in one of his
visions told him where he could find a getaway ship) and
went to France, where he became a priest (and later a bishop).
When he was about 60 years old, St. Patrick travelled to
Ireland to spread the Christian word. It's said that Patrick
had an unusually winning personality, and that helped him
win converts. He used the shamrock, which resembles a three-leafed
clover, as a metaphor to explain the concept of the Trinity
(father, son, holy spirit).
Legend has it that Saint Patrick drove all the snakes out
of Ireland -- that they all went into the sea and drowned.
Poor snakes. I don't know why he would want to do this,
except that the snake was a revered pagan symbol, and perhaps
this was a figurative tale alluding to the fact that he
drove paganism out of Ireland.
In America, Saint Patrick's Day is a basically a time to
wear green and party. The first American celebration of
Saint Patrick's Day was in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737.
As the saying goes, on this day "everybody is Irish!" Over
100 U.S. cities now hold Saint Patrick's Day parades, the
largest held in New York City.
Green is associated with Saint Patrick's Day because it
is the color of spring, Ireland, and the shamrock. Leprechauns
are also associated with this holiday, although I'm not
sure why. Leprechauns of legend are actually mean little
creatures, with the exception of the Lucky Charms guy. They
were probably added later on because capitalists needed
something cute to put on greeting cards.
An Irish blessing to take with you today: May your blessings
outnumber the shamrocks that grow And may trouble avoid
you wherever you go.
Leprechaun
Irish fairy. Looks like a small, old man (about 2 feet tall), often dressed like a shoemaker, with a cocked hat and a leather apron. According to legend, leprechauns are aloof and unfriendly, live alone, and pass the time making shoes...they also possess a hidden pot of gold. Treasure hunters can often track down a leprechaun by the sound of his shoemaker's hammer. If caught, he can be forced (with the threat of bodily violence) to reveal the whereabouts of his treasure, but the captor must keep their eyes on him every second. If the captor's eyes leave the leprechaun (and he often tricks them into looking away), he vanishes and all hopes of finding the treasure are lost.
Blarney Stone
The Blarney Stone is a stone set in the wall
of the Blarney Castle tower in the Irish village of Blarney.
Kissing the stone is supposed to bring the kisser the gift
of persuasive eloquence (blarney). The castle was built
in 1446 by Cormac Laidhiv McCarthy (Lord of Muskerry) --
its walls are 18 feet thick (necessary to thwart attacks
by Cromwellians and William III's troops). Thousands of
tourists a year still visit the castle.
The origins of the Blarney Stone's magical properties aren't
clear, but one legend says that an old woman cast a spell
on the stone to reward a king who had saved her from drowning.
Kissing the stone while under the spell gave the king the
ability to speak sweetly and convincingly.
It's tough to reach the stone -- it's between the main castle
wall and the parapet. Kissers have to lie on their back
and bend backward (and downward), holding iron bars for
support. Can you imagine kissing something that has had
people's lips all over it for 500 years? Yuck!
Sayings/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
May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.
Dance as if no one were watching, sing as if no one were listening, and
live every day as if it were your last.
May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.
The reason the Irish are always fighting each other is they have no
other worthy opponents.
May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live.
May your glass be ever full.
May the roof over your head be always strong.
And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you’re
dead.
Here’s to a long life and a merry one.
A quick death and an easy one.
A pretty girl and an honest one.
A cold beer—and another one!