Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years.
On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.


Wearing of the Green Goes Global
Today, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Although North America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated in other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore, and Russia.
Even in South Africa we had a St. Patrick's festival during the weekend and all 4 of us were wearing green ;-) Here the girls with a live green leprechaun.


The Chicago River
Chicago is also famous for a somewhat peculiar annual event: dyeing the Chicago River green. The tradition started in 1962, when city pollution-control workers used dyes to trace illegal sewage discharges and realized that the green dye might provide a unique way to celebrate the holiday. That year, they released 100 pounds of green vegetable dye into the river—enough to keep it green for a week!
Today, in order to minimize environmental damage, only forty pounds of dye are used, making the river green for only several hours. Although Chicago historians claim their city 's idea for a river of green was original, some Savannah natives believe the idea originated in their town.

Symbols and Traditions


The shamrock, which was also called the "seamroy" by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring.


Corned Beef
Each year, thousands of Irish Americans gather with their loved ones on St. Patrick's Day to share a "traditional" meal of corned beef and cabbage.


The Leprechaun
The original Irish name for these figures of folklore is "lobaircin," meaning "small-bodied fellow."
Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies. Though only minor figures in Celtic folklore, leprechauns were known for their trickery, which they often used to protect their much-fabled treasure.


I wish you all a wonderful green day!!
Mireille

Theme week 10 @ I ♥ Faces: 'Green'

The theme for this week at I ♥ Faces is 'Green'.

For the kids: Here are Juliet & Jasmine: the grass is green and it tickles on my back!
This photograph is taken in our backyard here in South Africa, the girls were enjoying the last summer rays, since we have reverse seasons and it is getting cooler now. Soon we'll have winter.


And I enter for the first time a picture for the adults. I had this picture taken this weekend during a St. Patrick's festival here in Joburg, and saw a live leprechaun. How fun is that :-) ... and since it is only Monday night I am still in the deadline to add this picture.


Look at the other contestants at the I ♥ Faces site, there are some creative 'green' shots!

Have a wonderful week ahead of you!
Mireille

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Green, green, green. Everything you see today is Green! St. Patrick's Day is celebrated today. And since there are more Irish people in the US than in Ireland, it is a big holiday, with parades and festivities.
St. Patrick's Day is Ireland's greatest national holiday as well as a holy day. The date marks the anniversary of the death of the missionary who became the patron saint of Ireland. It is a happy holiday for the Irish wherever they may be - in Dublin, New York City, Boston, or San Francisco. The day celebrated with parades, speeches, festive dinners, and dances. Green is the color of the day, with thousands of little cloth shamrocks worn even by those whose forefathers never touched the shores of Ireland.
Leprechauns are little make-believe fairies from Ireland. They are the little old men who are shoemakers for the fairies. They usually stand about 2 feet tall. Treasure hunters can often track down a leprechaun by the sound of his shoemaker's hammer. The legend is that if you catch one you can force him to tell you where he hides his gold.
Jasmine and Juliet wanted to make a trap to catch the leprechaun today, so the girls would find his gold.
School children have started a little tradition of their own. They pinch classmates who don't wear green on this holiday. Wearing green is strictly a U.S. custom, as the color green is not popular in Ireland. Green is connected to the old green flag and a time when Ireland was not free. Green is also a color connected with hope and nature.
Irish Tradition: Many people will be eating Irish food such as Irish Stew and Corned Beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day. Corned Beef is not an Irish dish. It is what Americans think the Irish eat. A more traditional meal would be ham and cabbage or bacon and cabbage. Some say that in Ireland on St. Patrick's Day the traditional green beer is prominent. However, in Ireland, many years ago, St. Patrick's Day is considered a holy day and Pubs were not open for business. There were no parades and no drinking.
...and last but not least, some Irish Humor:
What do you call an Irishman who knows how to control his wife?
A bachelor.
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Definition of an Irish husband:
He hasn't kissed his wife for twenty years, but he will kill any man who does.
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Courtship is a time during which the girl decides whether she can do better or not.
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I hope you all had a great day!!