A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....03-17-04...Happy St. Patrick's Day

Dutchesss

[dutchess]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

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A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

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Happy St. Patrick's Day

It's St. Patrick's Day, and yes, we at the Finest WILL be hosting a party, BUT before you kick up your shoes, break out the food and drink….we must first sit back and see the history of this special day.

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. 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 thousands of 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.

About St. Patrick

St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian.

After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped to Britain. In several of his writing he spoke of a revelation--an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish.

Although there were a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, most Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion. The Irish culture centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. When this is considered, it is no surprise that the story of Patrick's life became exaggerated over the centuries-spinning exciting tales to remember history has always been a part of the Irish way of life.

The First Parade

The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army. Over the next thirty-five years, Irish patriotism among American immigrants flourished, prompting the rise of so-called "Irish Aid" societies, like the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and the Hibernian Society. Each group would hold annual parades featuring bagpipes and drums.

No Irish Need Apply

Up until the mid-nineteenth century, most Irish immigrants in America were members of the Protestant middle class. When the Great Potato Famine hit Ireland in 1845, close to a million poor, uneducated, Catholic Irish began to pour into America to escape starvation. Despised for their religious beliefs and funny accents by the American Protestant majority, the immigrants had trouble finding even menial jobs. When Irish Americans in the country 's cities took to the streets on St. Patrick's Day to celebrate their heritage, newspapers portrayed them in cartoons as drunk, violent monkeys.

However, the Irish soon began to realize that their great numbers endowed them with a political power that had yet to be exploited. They started to organize, and their voting block, known as the "green machine," became an important swing vote for political hopefuls. Suddenly, annual St. Patrick's Day parades became a show of strength for Irish Americans, as well as a must-attend event for a slew of political candidates. In 1948, President Truman attended New York City 's St. Patrick's Day parade, a proud moment for the many Irish whose ancestors had to fight stereotypes and racial prejudice to find acceptance in America.

Wearing 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.

In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick's Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use St. Patrick's Day as an opportunity to drive tourism and showcase Ireland to the rest of the world.

Leprechauns

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. Leprechauns had nothing to do with St. Patrick or the celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

In 1959, Walt Disney released a film called Darby O'Gill & the Little People, which introduced America to a very different sort of leprechaun than the cantankerous little man of Irish folklore. This cheerful, friendly leprechaun is a purely American invention, but has quickly involved into an easily recognizable symbol of both St. Patrick's Day and Ireland in general.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

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. Though cabbage has long been an Irish food, corned beef only began to be associated with St. Patrick's Day at the turn of the century. Irish immigrants living on New York City's Lower East Side substituted corned beef for their traditional dish of Irish bacon to save money. They learned about the cheaper alternative from their Jewish neighbors.

Shamrocks

A three-leafed clover, the shamrock is the national emblem of Ireland. 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. By the seventeenth century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule.

The shamrock was also said to be used by St. Patrick as he was spreading Christianity throughout Ireland by illustrating the Christian doctrine of the trinity. He used the three leaf shamrock to represent how the father, son and holy spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity

Music

Music is often associated with St. Patrick's Day-and Irish culture in general. From ancient days of the Celts, music has always been an important part of Irish life. The Celts had an oral culture, where religion, legend, and history were passed from one generation to the next by way of stories and songs.

After being conquered by the English, and forbidden to speak their own language, the Irish, like other oppressed peoples, turned to music to help them remember important events and hold on to their heritage and history.

Irish music continues to enjoy universal appeal today. Their music is produced with instruments that have been used for centuries, including the fiddle, the uilleann pipes, a sort of elaborate bagpipe, the tin whistle, a sort of flute that is actually made of nickel-silver, brass, or aluminum, and the bodhran, an ancient type of framedrum that was traditionally used in warfare rather than music.

An Irish Blessing

Before the celebration begins, let's all raise our glasses and join in this well know Irish Blessing

An Irish Blessing

May the roads rise to meet you.

May the wind be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face.

The rain fall soft upon your fields

And until we meet again,

May God Hold you in the palm of his hand.

Happy St. Patrick's Day Finest Friends.... Let the Celebration Begin!

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[Mo1]

Morning Pippin

I need to ask for help ... this Irish Gal needs a recipe for Ham and Cabage

Does anyone have one I can use a crock pot with???


Yea Yea Yea ... I know .. but I don't do cooking very well .. LOL

[ohioWfan]

Just want to share my work over the past few days.......

Now we just need to be able to USE it! :o)

[Mo1]

Soon .. you'll be able to use it real soon

Soooooooooooooo .. are you ready to party when he gets home?

[LadyX]

"I was thinking just yesterday that I feel so sorry for the youngsters today.
They haven't built their memory bank yet.
They can't sit still for hours replaying that tape in the mind, each time delightfully discovering some little facet that has been overlooked in times past."

Isn't that the truth, though?!!

The good thing is as time passes and we (hopefully) mature, we place in perspective all the unpleasant and hurtful things - forgive and forget, and move on.

They become straws in the wind, and we choose to feel the warmth of relationships and the joys of God's beautiful Creations - - -

~ ~ ~ For He brings light to the darkness ~ ~

[LadyX]

'Tis giving thanks, I am, to the good Lord for this wonderful moment-soon-to-be!

Also shedding tears of unashamed relief and joy that your precious child will be home, and safe among us - - -

Thank you for sharing him all this time with your Finest Family!

[ohioWfan]

Non stop party, Mo! :o)

[Texagirl4W]

I just love all of these stories. Green was my mom's favorite color and she loved to decorate for St. Patrick's Day. I sure do miss that. Hope all of you have a great day. It's lovely here in North Texas.

[Texagirl4W]

So very happy for you. Praise the Lord, another prayer answered !!!

[LadyX]

"Green" is indeed the word of the day here, Texagirl, with recent showers bringing even the lawns to life.
We already have all manner of blooming trees and flowers, including Bradford pear trees and dogwoods everywhere!

My violets are showing their lovely faces, and the pansies are wearing huge grins..:))

Spring in lower South Carolina is well under way - - -

[firebrand]

Snowing here in New York as the devil-may-care Irish get ready to step off. They really say "Top o' the mornin'" to one another.

[Donaeus]

Top o' tha mornin' to ya all! And a happy St. Paddy's day too! I raise a pint o' cider to the health of all me lads and lassies. *[/;o)

In tribute to Jean Kerry's official nomination to the DemocRAT party I'd like to offer a little poem for your consideration. I know this is an Irish holiday but since I'm Scotch-Irish I reckon I can get away with this. Scottish poet Robert Burns' "To A Louse"...

Ha! whare ye gaun, ye crowlin' ferlie?
Your impudence protects you sairly;
I canna say but ye strunt rarely
Owre gauze and lace,
Tho'faith! I fear ye dine but sparely
On sic a place.

Ye ugly, creepin', blastit wonner,
Detested, shunned by saint an' sinner,
How daur ye set your fit upon her --
Sae fine a lady!
Gae somewhere else and seek your dinner
On some poor body.

Swith! in some begger's hauffet squattle:
There ye may creep and sprawl and sprattle,
Wi'ither kindred, jumping cattle,
In shoals and nations;
Whare horn nor bane ne'er daur unsettle
Your thick plantations.

Now haud you there! ye're out o' sight,
Below the fatt'rils, snug and tight;
Na, faith ye yet! ye'll no be right
Till ye've got on it--
The vera tapmost, tow'ring height
O' Miss's bonnet.

My sooth! right bauld ye set your nose out,
As plump an' grey as onie grozet;
O for some rank, mercurial rozet;
Or fell red smeddum,
I'd gie ye sic a heartly dose o't,
Wad dress your droddum.

I wad na been suprised to spy
You on an auld wife's flainen toy;
Or aiblins some bit duddie boy,
On 's wyliecoat;
But Miss's fine Lunardi! fye!
How daur ye do't?

O Jenny, dinna toss your head,
An, set your beauties a' abread!
Ye little ken what cursed speed
The blastie's makin'!
Thae winks an' finger-ends, I dread,
Are notice takin'!

O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as inthers see us!
It wad frae monie a blunder free us,
An' foolish notion;
What airs in dress an' gait wad lea'e us,
An' ev'n devotion!

For those not familiar with old Scottish dialects: This poem is about a woman who dresses in her best finery to show off at church. She proudly flaunts her beauty and revels in the whispers of the congregation. But the envious looks and praise she imagines are not what passes from member to member. Blinded by her own narcissism, she cannot see what's right under her nose: she's infested with lice to everyone else's repulsion.

[The Thin Man]

Happy St. Patty's Day, Dutchesss (just spelling it the way you did on top).  J
 

[LadyX]

Sure 'n ye disrespected him most properly, lassie, as befits a true Scottish AND Irish gal - which I be also!

I have Scottish Dickson and Irish Daugherty lineage....among others...:))

(English and French Huguenot settlers from the 1600's, and later Scottish, Irish and German forebears)

[MeekOneGOP]

Snow ?? Yeah, I heard on the radio parts of N.Y. with several inches of it.

We had 4.5" in my back yard on Valentine's day. Very unusual for here.

Happy St. Patty's to ya !

http://Richard.Meek.home.comcast.net/20040214QingYing.JPG

http://Richard.Meek.home.comcast.net/20040214TexasSnow.JPG

[Pippin]

I don't have a crock pot recipe for ham and cabbage but maybe someone on the Hobbit Hole thread would.

[Mo1]

Thanks .. I found a couple with corn beef .. so maybe I'll wing it

I doubt these kids of mine will eat it anyhow *L*

[Pippin]

Thanks, (((Cobby)))!

[Pippin]

LOL!

That will come soon enough!

Gett9ing ready for Eric's coming home? :O)

[Pippin]

LOL!

I see you ARE ready! :O)

[Pippin]

Re#54

Where's that at?