Happy St Patrick's Day!
For many of you this holiday means celebrating your heritage, for others it is a good excuse for a drinking. Many traditions go with St Patrick's Day, strangely enough many of those traditions were born in America rather than the country so celebrated on the holiday. While visiting Ireland I recall telling my (now) ex's mother about how you had to wear green or you would be pinched. She thought that was just adorable! A year beforehand I had made it to my Irish Mecca: Dublin on St Patrick's Day where Lauren and I celebrated another tradition, attending the parade. We couldn't get over how most of the participants weren't Irish, but American!
The truth is Americans have a strong tradition of being big fans (perhaps even the biggest) of St Patrick's Day. This tradition predates the United States itself. The first St Patrick's Day parade was held in New York City in 1762. Irish soldiers serving King and Country marched through the city to the sounds of traditional Irish music.
So this St Patrick's Day make sure you keep the tradition going strong, especially if it involves toasting with authentic 18th century beer and spirits!
I have to agree, we Americans, myself included, are traditional big fans of anything worth being a fan of.
ReplyDeleteWell put!
ReplyDeleteDon't forget--we New Englanders also observe the 17th as Evacuation Day, the day in 1776 when British forces cleared out of Boston. Nowadays there is a parade, dinner and toasts (and Boston schools have a holiday!).
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