Tuesday, March 17, 2009

St. Patrick's Day!!!!! March 17th

St. Patrick's Day!

If you have ever hung around the Almanac of Merriment in March, you might be aware that I have some love for St. Patrick's Day. It's not because I love green, so much that I love a day when everyone is wearing it... I just kinda like to see the phrase "Erin go Bragh" randomly placed around. I like that phrase. No particular reason.

Anyway, if your weatherperson just announced that today is going to be the same as yesterday, as mine just did, there might be more than one reason why. You see, yesterday was St. Urho's Day. St. Urho is the patron Saint of Finland, who was created in Northern Minnesota in the 1950s.

The legend of St. Urho says chased the grasshoppers out of ancient Finland, thus
saving the grape crop and the jobs of Finnish vineyard workers.


Thus, we have a Finish Saint Day that is celebrated in America, that is not celebrated in Finland.

We have a similar situation with our St. Patrick's Day. We Americans have built up a lot of traditions that are not quite Irish. We Americans eat corned beef and cabbage, and pinch people, and

celebrate St. Patrick's Day with green beer and parades.
Traditionally, St. Patrick's Day meant going to church during the Christian season of Lent. There was no beer drinking, and especially no feasting on that holy day.



But, don't let me rain on your parade. Go out and have some fun out there. Pinch those checky non-green-wearing-potato-heads and if they complain, tell them "go n-ithe cata thĂș agus go n-ithe an diabhaill an cata."

1 comment:

Laura said...

I feel so gipped! I was in Japan and missed it! The Japanese apparently aren't so much with the celebrating little guys who wear green... except for Keroppi, I guess. They love him.

You know, when I was in Ireland, I ate a lot of corned beef and cabbage (it was an easy and frequent gluten free option) and I learned something: Corned beef and cabbage is a good dish. (I guess just being Irish- like my mum- doesn't mean you can cook it well/ only preparing the dish once a year on St. Patrick's Day doesn't hone your culinary skills where that one meal is concerned.) I also learned that when the Irish cook bacon, the result does not comport with the American concept of what bacon is.

Hey! Three posts in one month! It's a St. Patrick's Day miracle!