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St. Patrick's Day is Ireland's greatest national holiday as
well as a holy day. The date marks the anniversary of the death of the missionary who
became the patron saint of Ireland. It is a happy holiday for the Irish wherever they may
be - in Dublin, New York City, Boston, or San Francisco. The day celebrated with parades,
speeches, festive dinners, and dances. Green is the color of the day, with thousands of
little cloth shamrocks worn even by those whose forefathers never touched the shores of
Ireland.
It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian.
The first St. Patrick's 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, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army. Suddenly, annual St. Patrick's Day parades became a show of strength for Irish Americans, as well as a must-attend event for a slew of political candidates. In 1948, President Truman attended New York City 's St. Patrick's Day parade, a proud moment for the many Irish whose ancestors had to fight stereotypes and racial prejudice to find acceptance in America.
May Christ and
His saints stand
between you and harm.
May and her Son
St. Patrick with his staff.
Martin with his mantle.
Bridget with her vail.
Michael with his shield.
And God over all with His strong right hand.
If a fairy, or a man, or a woman
Hath overlooked thee.
There are three greater in heaven
Who will cast all evil from thee
Into the great and terrible sea.
Pray to them, and to the seven angels of God,
And they will watch over thee.
Four corners to
her bed
Four angels at her head
Mark, Matthew, Luke and John;
God bless the bed that she lies on.
New moom, new moom, God bless me
God bless this house and family.
Irish Tradition
Many people will be eating Irish food such as Irish Stew and Corned Beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day. Corned Beef is not an Irish dish. It is what Americans think the Irish eat. A more traditional meal would be ham and cabbage or bacon and cabbage. Some say that in Ireland on St. Patrick's Day the traditional green beer is prominent. However, in Ireland, many years ago, St. Patrick's Day is considered a holy day and Pubs were not open for business. There were no parades, no drinking or wearing green. Green was considered an unlucky color.
Erin Go Bragh (Ireland Forever)
