Tomorrow is St. Patrick's day, the first holiday of spring. It seems to fall a little flat this year, with so much snow on the ground after that last major storm. Still, the days are getting longer and it has been warmer. With Easter coming early this year, a sign of seasonal change is long overdue.
St. Patrick's day doesn't really have the meaning that it should, I think. These days, if you ask the average person why we celebrate the 17th of March, they don't have a clue. To kids, it's just about good luck and wearing green. To most adults, the day is an excuse to drink a lot of beer and say, "Kiss me, I'm Irish!" (Which will get you slapped on certain university campuses, I feel obligated to point out.) The day has lost its original purpose.
St. Patrick was a catholic priest, who is attributed with bringing Christianity to the country of Ireland. Legend has it that he drove out all of the snakes, as a display of the power of God. That part, of course, is not verifiable, but makes for good press. (I understand that to this day, there are no snakes native to the emerald isles.) As most people do know, Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, and a large percentage of male children are given his name.
I just thought I would sober up the party just a little bit by reminding everyone that they are drinking to the memory of a clergyman.
You may now return to your green beer.
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2 comments:
This is the part where many people returning to their green beer yell out, "PARTY POOPER!"
haha
I was trying to remember what it was that St. Patrick had done. And it turns out that I was right. Woot for me ^-^
My wife and I were in Edinburgh, Scotland, a few years ago and were there the day before St. Patrick's Day. We went with friends to celebrate St. Patrick's Eve in a bar and there was a lot of dancing and a lot of Guinness.
The next morning we flew to Dublin with our friends Mark and Jen and found the city to be in a somber, religious mood (and it was raining hard!). No real celebrations, no real drinking, no partying. That evening, we went to a bar and found a few people drinking beer...Heineken!
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