Saint Patrick’s Day

 May your Troubles be less

And your blessings be more,

 And nothing but happiness

 Come through your door.

      ~~Irish Proverb~~

Four Leaf Clover Brings Luck

I’m hard pressed to ignore this day, since it’s falling on my traditional day for blogging. (In reality this is my third blog in a row this week. Very unusual. You can catch me at the Sisters of Suspense blog on Tuesday  http://sistersofsuspense.com/2016/03/15/spring-flings-by-the-sisters-of-suspense/ and Wednesday http://sistersofsuspense.com/2016/03/16/a-visit-from-british-author-helena-fairfax/

I’ve turned to Wikipedia for this info, some of which I knew, but not all.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, “the Day of the Festival of Patrick,” is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.

Saint Patrick’s Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Lutheran Church. (This was a surprise because I was brought up in the Lutheran Church and don’t have a memory of this celebration. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland  and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks.  Christians also attend church services and the Lenten  restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day, which has encouraged and propagated the holiday’s tradition of alcohol consumption.   ^{(How funny is that!)}

 Lots of cities & towns turn their water green for the holiday.

Saint Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland,  the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. (Montserrat is a  Caribbean island. I had to look this up, I didn’t know where it was. Knew the article wasn’t referencing  the fancy housing development on the west side of Fort Worth.):)

It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora around the world, especially in Great Britain, Canada, The United States, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand, Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. 

Modern celebrations have been greatly influenced by those of the Irish diaspora,  particularly those that developed in North America. In recent years, there has been criticism of Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations for having become too commercialized and for fostering negative stereotypes of the Irish.

(I pulled out most of the footnotes and links to make this easier to read, but if you want more info on any of the subjects, check out this link.)  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick’s_Day

B & B we stayed in in Hot Springs, Arkansas over St. Patrick’s Day.

I’ve written about our Spring Break Group (5 or so couples) who every year get together for a trip somewhere, usually in Texas, but sometimes further afield.

One year we went to Hot Springs Arkansas, and while we were there, the town celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with the world’s smallest parade.

We managed to see the whole thing from a restaurant balcony.  I believe it’s the only time I celebrated the holiday in anyway other than wearing green. And that’s to keep those who aren’t Irish and who are jealous from pinching me. LOL

I have only a bit of the Irish in me from my mother’s side of the family. Because of that, I’ve always wanted to travel to Ireland. We named our older daughter for a character in a historical romance set in Ireland. (I’m not sure my husband knows that.)

So how about you. Is this holiday important to your family? How have you celebrated?  Is beer your favorite drink?

Love to hear from you.