go greeen! It’s St. Pats Day
How often have you heard someone say something like, “Oh, I so want to visit Ireland; they say it is so beautiful?” Having visited Ireland many times, I can verify that it is indeed a beautiful island, and the hearty, fun-loving Irish people greatly enhance its beauty.
Question: How many towns, cities, or counties in America do not have an Irish Pub? The correct answer is not many. Think about it a moment, and you will note that nearly every village, town, or city has at least one Irish Pub. Here are some fun Irish facts that will explain.
· Here in south-central Pennsylvania, nearly 14% of Cumberland County residents are of Irish descent.
· 9.7% of the US population is of Irish ancestry.
· Alleghany County, which encompasses Pittsburgh, is a whopping 17.5% Irish, so the St. Pat’s Day festivities in steel city are off the charts.
· New York and Boston host the most epic celebrations.
· St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. (Wikipedia) and the first parade was held in Waterford, Ireland, in 1903.
· Each year, on St. Patricks’ Day, the Irish Prime Minister presents a Waterford Crystal bowl filled with Shamrocks. This practice started in 1952 when the Prime Minister presented President Harry Truman with this gift.
· We Americans started celebrating the festival in 1601, which puts it right up there with Thanksgiving.
· Instead of turkey, people worldwide will consume 13 million pints of Guinness and around 5 million bottles of Irish Whiskey this week.
Speaking of Guinness, I remember the first pint I enjoyed in Flannery’s Pub across the street from our hotel in Limerick. My Irish friend, Dermot, took us into the quintessential bar to enjoy a glass of the rich, dark brew. I quickly learned that pouring a pint of the famous draft is a two-step process that cannot be shortened. One must pour the glass about two-thirds full and then let it sit a few moments before making the second pour of nitrogen. This addition gives the drink its tight, creamy head, and it also makes the bubbles flow in a cycle where the center flows upwards, and the sides flow downward. See, you are learning something valuable from this critical article.
Anyway, you do not immediately start drinking this beer! It must settle, and there is a scientific method to determine if the elixir is ready to be enjoyed if you are into that sort of thing. Dermot took out a coin, and he told me to tap the glass and listen to the sound and feel it made. It was a dull thug as best I could figure. Then he told me to wait a few minutes and tap again. This time it sounded bright like you would expect a coin hitting a glass. The higher pitch means your stout has settled and is fully ready to be enjoyed. I thought Dermot was pulling my chain since he has been known to do such things, but it actually worked!
I digress.
Back to St. Patrick’s Day.
St. Patrick was born into a wealthy Roman family during the fourth century. He was kidnapped as a child and enslaved in Ireland. As a shepherd on the Emerald Island, Patrick discovered a relationship with God. One day he saw a vision telling him to flee to the sea where a boat would transport him home, all of which happened, and he made it home. There he became a priest and then felt called to return to Ireland to help convert Irish “pagans” to Christianity.
He is said to have used “three-leafed clovers” or “Shamrocks” to explain the concept of the Trinity to the Irish. Thousands of Irishmen were converted to Christianity, and Ireland eventually became largely Catholic.
Patrick is also credited with driving all the snakes from Ireland. However, there never were snakes in Ireland, so that tidbit is on shaky ground. Ireland was too cold for snakes and disconnected from the mainland, where snakes could have migrated. I don’t care how it happened; I can like any place that does not have slithering creatures!
If you are Catholic, you get to hold off on your Lenten fasting commitment and can drink alcohol and consume meat on this day, so you’ve got that going for you!
Through the years, many legends and traditions formed around the patron saint of Ireland. Tonight, I’ll be serving bangers and mash for the early celebration with my grandkids. I always hold an Irish party around March 17th, when Patrick was said to have died. Just so you feel at ease, I will refrain from serving the children Guinness or green beer.
I love being a grandpa, or “Pops,” as my seven little mischievous imps call me. It took me a while to figure out this role, and I am still learning, but it is a fun and fulfilling process. I have determined my job is to love them by providing fond memories and constantly pulling their chains. I’m pretty good at both challenges. I would indeed like for them to someday laugh and say, “Pops sure liked to party.”
Both of my grandfathers passed before I was born, and neither of my grandmothers were exactly “fun” people though I loved them dearly. They were both strong, Godly women. If you got out of line, Grandma Porter would say, “Donnie, you better settle down, or I’ll box your ears!” I always wondered how she could place my ears in boxes, and she never did box them, so I am left pondering the idea.
Since I did not experience grandfathers to learn from, I can kinda chart my own patriarchal course. All I want them to gather from me is that Pops loved Jesus, was generous, fun, and loved to tease us. I like to keep it simple.
Though most cultures eventually syncretize religious holidays with secular practices, i.e., Christmas and The Grinch or Easter and eggs and bunnies, it is always possible to celebrate these days, keeping the original ideal prominent. We know what Christmas and Easter are about, and we can utilize any number of traditions to relay their meaning and importance to new generations.
No matter what the legend, St. Patrick was someone who experienced the darkest sides of life and yet came through the experiences stronger and closer to God. He was so dedicated to the Lord that he was willing to sacrifice his comfort and give himself so that others may come to know his Savior. He knew how it felt to be far from God, and he loved people enough to want them to find their way to their Creator. Using a three-leafed clover is an excellent way to explain the trinity, which is a mystery to us all. This guy is worth a celebration!
We will celebrate Easter with marshmallow chicks, colored eggs, and fluffy bunnies in a few weeks. Some of us will eat ham to celebrate our freedom from the Law through another “man’s” willingness to sacrifice on our behalf. I love marshmallow peeps, and I confess that I do not usually think of Jesus while consuming several. However, peeps and eggs symbolize new life. In the old days, people were not allowed to eat eggs during the Lenten season, so they colored them and ate them on Easter day. Bunnies are also a symbol of new life since the cute little creatures propagate as if they had nothing else to do. I think using common parts of life to explain significant events is a beautiful idea.
My children and grandchildren and I clearly understand the resurrection miracle, and bunnies do not detract from the truth but add helpful memories surrounding how one learns deeper spiritual truths. These “secular” practices can be used to teach and enhance our knowledge and understanding of God. I am thoroughly convinced that if Jesus were among us, He would enjoy peeps and Reece’s chocolate peanut butter eggs.
What traditions have you created to celebrate essential truths? For what will you be remembered? How do you want to be remembered? The nice thing is that we get to choose the answers to those questions by what we believe and how we live.
Well, after writing this article, I went to the grocery store and purchased ingredients for bangers and mash, and of course, ice cream. Ice cream works for any holiday, and I’m in big trouble if I don’t have a sufficient stock of the creamy stuff in my freezer when the kids show up.
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains 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!
