The luck of the Irish blog post #2

As many of us know our national holiday “St. Patrick’s day” came from Ireland. In America, we celebrate it with parades, delicious dinners of corn beef, cabbage, and potatoes, and everything green, but in Ireland, it is celebrated much different. In old Ireland a few hundred years ago the emphasis of St. Patrick’s day was on spirituality and a break from lent. Everyone would attend mass and the little kids would wear hand made crosses that differed based on gender. St. Patrick’s day was regarded as the middle day of spring where the saint said from there on out good weather will come. Although it is celebrated very different in Ireland, the one tradition that carried with Americans was the wearing of the shamrock. For the food, in Ireland the St. Patrick’s day meal is not corn beef and potatoes. It's a custom that was begun by emigrants who, in longing for their native land, tried to create a meal that would remind them of home. And so, the dinner of long ago would most likely consist of boiled bacon more like ham, floury potatoes, cabbage, and soda bread. The cabbage and potatoes are similar here and in Ireland, but the meat of choice is very different. People don’t know where the corn beef came from, but to us it just goes with St. Patrick’s day because that’s how we learned it. The celebration of the saint has died down in America but both cultures still celebrate the day with delicious food, green shamrocks, and music and dancing. 

Here is a link to an Irish recipe called Irish Pork Pie

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/2Kitch/1Home.html

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/StPatsDay.html