My
English Literature Professor likes to tease me about
wearing a lot of green. I’m not sure why he thinks I wear an abnormally large
amount of it, because I don’t think I do, but it does happen to be my favorite
color. Add that to his occasional commentary about my Irish heritage, and you
get a loud reminder that “my” holiday is coming up. Of course he was referring
to
Saint Patrick’s Day, which does happen to be one of the more exciting and
fun cultural holidays to celebrate! I’ll even tell you where to find some fun
public celebrations, if you’re interested. Want to learn a little bit about
what
March 17th is all about? Stick around and I’ll share some facts
and history with you!
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| I feel like this is what my professor expects... |
Most of what people know about Saint Patrick’s Day on March
17th is that it’s all about Irish things and wearing green. You
might have been one of those unfortunate souls who has forgotten to wear a
green item that day and got chased around and pinched by your friends at
school. No? Okay, maybe that was just my school, then… Anyway, there’s more to
this day than just wearing green, talking about the Irish icons, and maybe
doing age appropriate celebrations at special restaurants.
One interesting subject is the person the day is named
after: Saint Patrick himself! Here are a few fun facts about him:
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| Saint Patrick |
- He is the patron Saint of Ireland, who is credited with bringing
Christianity (esp. Catholicism) to the island country and is considered a national
apostle.
- He actually was not the first person to bring Christianity to
Ireland but he spread it around the most
- It is said that he is attributed with driving all snakes off
the island when he came, though snakes have never lived on the island.
- The above fact might actually be related to him converting
pagans to Christianity, with snakes being symbolic for the pagan religions.
- He has chapels dedicated to him all over the western world,
including ones in New York City, Dublin, Glastonbury (England), and Toowoomba
(Australia).
- One theory about the
reason for the date this holiday is celebrated is that people believe it
to be the day St. Patrick died.
As I said before, most people celebrate the day by maybe
wearing some green, attending age-appropriate parties, and wishing your friend
good luck. That’s not all people do to celebrate, though, especially if you’re
near a large Irish population! Here is a list of traditional things that people
might enjoy on St. Patrick’s Day at a festival:
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| This kitten is ready to party |
- Dancing! The Irish love to dance and you can often find
places in larger cities that hold events where you can learn and partake in
some of the fun folk dances. ( I’ve done it before and it was a blast!)
- Listening and playing some traditional and modern Irish
tunes
- Offering prayers for missionaries and loved ones and taking
some time for introspection
- Parades. Doesn’t everyone love a lively parade?!
- Enjoying traditional Irish drinks and dishes. I promise,
this culture’s hearty food is exceptionally tasty!
- Attending a Mass before celebration, especially in Ireland
where it is an important national holiday.
- Buying things associated with green, gold, leprechauns,
luck, and especially the shamrock. The shamrock is so iconic for this day
because St. Patrick chose it as a symbol. This was mainly because of the
traditional three leaves, symbolizing the holy trinity.
If you’re interested in getting your celebration on for St.
Patrick's Day (the weekend just before as it falls on a Monday), here are some
places that offer celebrations.
In Texas: Dallas is offering a few fun things: Ludacris headlining the
St. Patrick’s Day concert and
Dallas Mavericks St. Patrick’s day Parade and Festival (I think I went to the Mavericks event two years ago and it was so
much fun!). Houston also hosts a parade and festival. Apparently, there is a huge memorial and celebration for
Saint Patrick’s Day held in the Alamo in San Antonio as well.
New Orleans, Louisiana (AKA Party Central) also has a huge number of
events and celebrations going on around town, including several different
parades, block parties, market festivals, and other things.
If you can’t get out of Tyler or off campus but still want
to celebrate with your friends, you can always look up some
delicious traditional Irish recipies and go to class in your most festive green outfits you can
find. I know if I don’t, my English Literature professor will be very
disappointed.
A special on campus celebration note: We will be having a Holi Celebration (Indian Spring Festival) that day. For more info, you can check out the CAB Events page
here!
