St. Patrick’s Day as the name implies is actually a
religious holiday. It is held on March
17th, which is the day on which St. Patrick died (March 17, 461).
The Irish have celebrated this holiday for over 1000 years and even though it
occurs during the Christian season of Lent, they go to church in the a.m. and
celebrate in the p.m., dancing and eating Irish bacon and cabbage. St. Patrick’s
Day is a Roman Catholic feast day, and what self-respecting American/Irish pub
doesn’t serve corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day?
Born in Roman Britain during the 5th century, Patrick
was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. It is said he
escaped but later returned and brought Christianity to Ireland. There is a lot
of mythology surrounding this now Irish patron saint, but the most well-known
is probably that he explained the Holy Trinity using a three-leaf clover.
The first celebration of St. Patrick’s Day celebration in
the U.S., with a parade and feast, was held in St. Augustine, Florida in
1601. Today, the New York City St.
Patrick’s Day Parade is the oldest civilian parade in the world and the largest
in the U. S. with over 150,000 participants taking 5 hours to move down its 1.5-mile route. It is viewed by over 3
million people.
You don’t have to look far to find green and clovers in just about any town U.S.A. on St. Patrick’s Day. My Irish husband, Patrick, thinks it’s all for him, of course. I made him four-leaf clover sugar cookies for desert to go along with his corned beef and cabbage. How do you celebrate?
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
2 comments:
I made my first corned beef and cabbage meal for the family a couple of years ago with great reluctance. Not a fan of what I'd had priviously (and man it stinks when cooking!) I was preparing for disaster buuuut it was delicious! So tender and yummy and eaten by ALL. Tried it and Irish stew when in Ireland. Yes, there was a delicious difference (probably Guiness!).
Slainte!
My son makes the best corned beef (I can forget the cabbage). Even his dad likes it. LOL For St Patrick's Day, I bought a "lucky" Shamrock plant for my kitchen window. Hope you enjoyed the day.
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