Saint Patty's Day

Hi neighbors. This Thursday, March 17, is Saint Patrick's Day, a.k.a. St. Patty's Day or Feast of St. Patrick, and celebrates the memory of Ireland's beloved patron saint. It is both a religious and cultural celebration.

The date marks the traditional death of the saint. In the early 17th century, it was made an official Christian feast day observed by the Church of Ireland, the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Lutheran Church.

The day is considered an observance for both Saint Patrick and Christianity in Ireland: as well as the people of Ireland. Celebrants wear green attire and they hold parades and festivals. Church services are a traditional part of the day.

Over indulgence in drinking alcohol and eating are not restricted by culture or church on this one day a year. Guinness is a traditional alcoholic drink. Pubs celebrate Irish food and parties are had in most pubs.

It is considered a world wide celebration. Here in America parades are held honoring our Irish cultural roots. In Chicago, green dye was put in the water of the Chicago River in 2005.

Children, as well as adults, celebrate Saint Patrick's day by wearing shamrocks, dressing in anything green and telling tales of leprechauns.

Saint Patrick was believed to be born in the fourth century in Roman Britain to a wealthy family. He was kidnapped at age 16 and taken as a slave to Gaelic Ireland. There he worked as a shepherd and discovered his religious faith. Patrick eventually found his way back home to Britian and there became a priest. He then returned to Ireland to convert the people to Christianity. He died on March 17 and became Ireland's prominent saint.

We all remember celebrating Saint Patrick's Day in elementary school. Woe to the student who forgot what day it was! Those not wearing o' the green got pinched! Most parents and teachers soon learned to have some green construction paper shamrocks available to hand out at the beginning of the school day. This prevented many scuffles and yells of pain from getting pinched.

I don't know any small students to ask, but I suppose Saint Patrick's Day is still allowed a mention in the schools and children are allowed to wear something green.

From the last census, the numbers of Irish-Americans and Scottish-Americans are dwindling. Saint Patrick's Day of celebration might be eliminated before today's first-grade students graduate high school. Time will tell and everything changes.

Change is what America understands and blending is what America thrives on!

Still, for me, I'll cut out a paper shamrock and wear something green, decorate a cake with a leprechaun figure smoking a pipe and tell some stories of the interactions between mankind and all other creatures.

By the way, I should mention that Corgi dogs with the large white collar around their necks were considered the great steeds of the fairies who used the white collar as a saddle and rode about the hills and glens of Ireland in days of yore.

If you have nothing else to contribute or do on Saint Patty's Day, you might want to read up on why he is such a patron saint, and how his life was a milestone in Irish history.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day friends and go easy on the stout and the Guinness!