SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

Hello everyone!
I would like to start my blog with a great piece of news, and I think talking about an important celebration is a good beginning, right?
Two days ago (Wednesday, 17th of March, 2010) Saint Patrick's Day was celebrated all around the world. Here I write you about the history, meaning and symbols that identify thousands of people and that may help you to understand this well-known celebration.
Cheers!

Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated mainly in Ireland, but you can find people joining this festivity all around the world. The origin of this day is found in Ireland, this saint introduced Catholic religion in the island using a shamrock (Irish clover) as the symbol of the Holy Trinity.
Also, he was supposed to have driven snakes out of Ireland.
That is why this day Irish people in Ireland, Irish people around the world or Irish descendants celebrate the event. They commemorate this traditional day when they emigrate (19th c.) because of the great famine.
Even though, we can find people who has nothing to do with Ireland, but they join this celebration for celebrating's shake! ;-)

Some important symbols are:


LEPRECHAUN: They are a kind of gnomes who live in the country-side. They are guardians of an ancient treasure (left by the Danes through Ireland). They keep the treasure in crocks or pots at the end of the rainbow. Leprechauns tend to avoid contact with humans (considered selfish, foolish and greedy) , and they have the ability of appearing and disappearing. They are magical creatures! As you can see in the picture they wear green clothes, it is thought they work as shoe-makers. They are very short and they have got red hair and beard.


A shamrock is a kind of clover typical of Ireland. They use this word to define clovers! If you find a shamrock with four leaves, you'll get a good luck! It's not easy, most of shamrocks have got three leaves.

Drinking beer is typical of Irish (well, I have to confess not only Irish). If you go to Ireland you'll find important and well-known kind of beers (called pints). Some of the most important ones are Guinness and Murphy (black), Harp (yellow) or Kilkenny (red), an emblem of all the world beers. They have different flavours and colours; those brews are done with toasted coffee (black pint) or semi-toasted (red pint). People who doesn't drink too much can ask half pint.
There is a name for the black beer, some Irish call it "stout" or "black stuff".

Green colour: Green is the Irish national colour. Irish football teams wear green and people around the world wear green on St. Patrick's Day.
Rural Ireland has a green landscape (fields, trees, etc...) and some poets call Ireland the "Emeral Island".


Celtic music is typical of some countries where Celt people lived and tranferred their culture long time ago. They use as instruments bagpipes (Galician and Scottish bagpipes are somehow similar), flutes, tin-whistle...
Joy, inspiration and sense of freedom are some characteristics of this music.
Some important and representative groups are: Bothy band, Lúnasa and Clannad.