Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

I was interested in doing a bit of research into this green, shamrock filled day! So, here are the results.... some fun, interesting facts about this holiday.

St. Patrick's day is a day filled with the "luck of the Irish" and much green. Saint Patrick was the patron saint of Ireland who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland.

Would you like to hear some folklore? This is one of the most well know (at least I have heard of this before). The story goes that Saint Patrick Patrick stood on a hilltop (Croagh Patrick), and with only a wooden staff, drove all the snakes from Ireland. Apparently, no snakes were ever native to Ireland so this could not have happened, but it does make for a fun story. Many people believe this story is a a metaphor for the conversion of the pagans to Christianity.

The shamrock is one of the most identifiable Irish symbols. The shamrock, which was also called the "seamroy" by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. It is believed that Saint Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. The shamrock represented how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity.

Have you heard what they do in Chigago? They dye the Chicago River green every year on St. Patrick's day. The first time they did this was in 1962. They used enough green vegetable dye to dye the river green for a week! Today, for environmental reasons, they only put enough in to keep it green for a few hours.

Some good Irish sayings while you make a toast today:

May you live to be a hundred years, with one extra year to repent.

As you slide down the banisters of life may the splinters never point the wrong way.

May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you wherever you go.

May you have warm words on a cold evening,
A full moon on a dark night,
And the road downhill all the way to your door.

May your neighbors respect you,
Troubles neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And Heaven accept you.

An old Irish recipe for longevity:
Leave the table hungry.
Leave the bed sleepy.
Leave the bar thirsty.

Green may be the color of the day, but did you know that blue was once the color associated with this day?

I hope you have found this entertaining.

This information was found on many websites by performing a search for "st patrick's day", including: www.history.com, wilstar.com/holidays/patrick.htm, http://www.st-patricks-day.com/index.asp, and wiki-pedia to name a few.

Enjoy!
Copyright Antonella DeFalco

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