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Saturday, March 13, 2010

so what's with st. patrick's day?

"The great Gaels of Ireland are the men that God made mad. For all their wars are merry, and all their songs are sad."
- G.K. Chesterton

Well, it's that time of year again. St. Patrick's Day. And I have already seen the green out in full force...even if I did think it was a little too early. I can understand parades and all today, since St. Patrick's Day falls in the middle of the week, but two weeks early like I saw last week? Well...that's just a little too early.

Hmm...I should say not too early to celebrate being Irish (because if you are, then you should be happy with that every day) but a little too early for all that green and shiny, sparkly green. Somehow, I really doubt that St. Patrick had a shining Mardi-Gras like beaded necklace of green shamrocks.

So why St. Patrick's Day? And what does that have to do with being Irish? Very, very briefly: St. Patrick is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. He was kidnapped from Britain and brought over as a slave in Ireland. The legend says that he was able to escape after a dream told him to the very next day. And he did...and returned home. But then later he felt a calling to return to Ireland and spread Christianity. And, again, according to legend, he used the shamrock to explain the Trinity...which is why the shamrock is also such a symbol of Christianity.

His day was March 17th, which is supposedly the day that he died. In a book on Irish history I read fairly recently, it noted that centuries ago as the Irish spread across the world, they used this day to kind of reconnect with the homeland and culture. But regardless, St. Patrick's Day has definitely become a day when "everyone's Irish," as they say.

Anyway, just a little background info in case you've ever wondered what all the fuss was about.

"When anyone asks me about the Irish character, I say look at the trees. Maimed, stark and misshapen, but ferociously tenacious."
- Edna O'Brien