Humpday O' Happenings
'Tis A Fine Day 'ta Be Irish...
Top o' the morning to 'ya all (and the rest of the day for meself, he said in his best Erin brogue)...And a Happy Saint Patty's Day to 'ya.
This is one of those "fun" holidays in me book.
Although it's not recognized AS a "holiday" by our government, many mayors (Irish or otherwise...mostly otherwise) do the "wearin' o' the green", and have parades in their downtowns, and where there's a river, it's dyed green as well. The ONLY place you really don't see ANY green is in the old paycheck, though...right?
Isn't that always the way, now?
Well, that's the way it goes, m' friends.
Nevertheless, I've seen fit to bring you (from my archives, dusty and dank as they might be):
Bobby McG's Concise History of St. Patrick's Day!
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(now feel free to put up yer shillelagh for a spell, and rest yer weary brow, bucko)
*** Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá ’le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig), colloquially St. Paddy's Day or Paddy's Day, is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick (circa 385-461 AD), one of the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on March 17.
The day is the national holiday of Ireland. It is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland, and a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Montserrat, and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. In the rest of Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and New Zealand, it is widely celebrated but is not an official holiday.
It became a feast day in the Roman Catholic Church due to the influence of the Waterford-born Franciscan scholar Luke Wadding in the early part of the 17th century, and is a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics in Ireland. The date of the feast is occasionally moved by church authorities when March 17 falls during Holy Week; this happened in 1940 when Saint Patrick's Day was observed on 3 April in order to avoid it coinciding with Palm Sunday, and is happening again in 2008, being observed on 15 March (though the State holiday in Ireland is not affected). March 17 will not fall during Holy Week again until 2160.
-- Irish colonists brought Saint Patrick's Day to what is now the United States of America.
-- The first civic and public celebration of Saint Patrick's Day in the 13 colonies took place in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737. During this first celebration --The Charitable Irish Society of Boston organized what was the first Saint Patrick's Day Parade in the colonies on 17 March 1737.
-- The first celebration of Saint Patrick's Day in New York City was held at the Crown and Thistle Tavern in 1756, and New York's first Saint Patrick's Day Parade was held on 17 March 1762 by Irish soldiers in the British Army.
-- In 1780, General George Washington, who commanded soldiers of Irish descent in the Continental Army, allowed his troops a holiday on 17 March. This event became known as The St. Patrick's Day Encampment of 1780. Today,
-- Saint Patrick's Day is widely celebrated in America by Irish and non-Irish alike.
-- Americans celebrate the holiday by wearing green clothing. Many people, regardless of ethnic background, wear green-coloured clothing and items. Traditionally, those who are caught not wearing green are pinched (behave yourselves, laddies). Alcohol is the center of many American celebrations.
Some cities paint the traffic stripe of their parade routes green. Chicago dyes its river green (as does Fort Wayne with the St. Joe river) and has done so since 1961 when sewer workers used green dye to check for sewer discharges and got the idea to turn the river green for St. Patricks Day. Indianapolis also dyes its main canal green. Savannah dyes its downtown city fountains green. University of Missouri Rolla - St Pat's Board Alumni paint 12 city blocks kelly green with mops before the annual parade.
Many parades are held to celebrate the holiday including the cities listed below:
-- The longest-running Saint Patrick's Day celebrations in the U.S. are:
Boston, Massachusetts, since 1737
New York City, since 1756
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since 1771
Morristown, New Jersey, since 1780
Buffalo, New York, since 1811
Savannah, Georgia, since 1813
Carbondale, Pennsylvania, since 1833
Chicago, Illinois, since 1843
New Haven, Connecticut, since 1845
San Francisco, California, since 1852
Scranton, Pennsylvania, since 1862**
Cleveland, Ohio, since 1867
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, since 1869
Kansas City, Missouri, since 1873
Butte, Montana, since 1882
Rolla, Missouri, since 1908
** Scranton, Pennsylvania
Due to the rich history of Scranton participation in St. Patrick's Day festivities it is one of the oldest and most populated parades in the United States. It has been going on annually since 1862 by the St. Patrick's Day Parade Association of Lackawanna County and the parade has gotten attention nationally as being one of the better St. Patrick's Day parades.
The parade route begins on Wyoming Ave. and loops up to Penn Ave. and then Lackawanna Ave. before going back down over Jefferson Ave. to get to Washington Ave. Scranton hosts the third largest St. Patrick's Day Parade in the United States. In 2003, more than 100,000 people lined the parade route throughout the downtown. (Wow...faith and begora...who'da known?)
Corned beef and cabbage is the most common meal eaten in the United States for St. Patrick's Day, even though historically, corned beef and cabbage is an American (rather than a traditionally Irish) meal.
(Personally, I don't touch green meat OR green cheese)
In the United States, many people have also made the holiday a celebration of the color green. These people, besides wearing green on that day, may also stage dinner parties featuring all green foods.
(again, check the menu CAREFULLY, lads & lasses...And don't forget all that green BEER & ALE to wash down that Irish Whiskey)
So, ta all me "Irish" brothers and sisters out there, do have yerselves a blessed holiday, in keeping with da season.
I'd like to leave you with two Irish Blessings:
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
And if God cannot turn your enemy's heart,
May He at least turn their ANKLE,
So we may know them by their limping.
And may you be in heaven an hour before the devil knows you're dead.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Now...go put on some Enya, James Galway, or The Chieftains...and crack open a Guinness or a Harp for me, will 'ya now?
( I started last night by watching the Celtic Woman show on our local PBS station...fantastic)
And by ALL means, lads and lasses...
Stay safe out there, America