Thursday, December 30, 2010

Celebrating Saint Patrick's Day

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland is believed to have brought Christianity to Ireland in the fourth century. He is believed to have removed many practices followed by pagan religions during that time. He is famous for having driven away all the snakes from Ireland, which refers to the practice of snake worshipping.

He is thought to have died on 17th March. Some stories about him are products of fertile imaginations over the centuries. What is important is that he gave the Irish Catholics an identity. Irish people celebrate 17th march as St.Patricks Day. On this day, most of the cities where Irish have a big population celebrate the day with parades. This day is the day to celebrate the Irish spirit. Color green, shamrocks, and good luck.

Shamrock And Irish People -

Shamrock, the three-leafed clover has special significance for the Irish. Earlier this was also called the seamroy. Though some people believe that Shamrock was used by Saint Patrick to explain the Christian doctrine, though there are no proofs of that. Shamrock is surely the symbol of Irish. Along with other Irish symbols or other things that are associated with Ireland such as green, gold and Luck, shamrock reminds everyone around the world of Ireland immediately.

Traditional Food -

Corned Beef and cabbage meal is the traditional Irish food for the Saint Patricks Day. Though the traditional food has been Irish bacon, corned beef saves money and is becoming popular amongst the Irish Americans. On St. Patricks Day, Chicago River is turned green for several hours by using green vegetable dye. What a great way to celebrate the day. Wishing you all a Happy St. Patricks Day.