An Introduction and Saint Patrick’s Day

Welcome to the Irish-ly Minnesotan Blog!

In order to get to know us better, we thought we’d introduce ourselves and explain what Saint Patrick’s Day means to us. We all come from a diverse set of backgrounds but found that Irish heritage has a special meaning for each of us. We all celebrate St. Patrick’ Day differently and we think it is important to share what is important for each of us.


Bennett:
Coming from an Irish family, Saint Patrick’s Day has always been a bit different for me than most. It was always to honor Saint Patrick and celebrate the bringing of Christianity to Ireland. Every year I still go to the Cathedral in Saint Paul and pray at the shrine to Saint Patrick there. One of the best things about it growing up, is the fact it’s considered a Feast Day in the Catholic Church. So, that means we can ignore Lent traditions and skip fasting and enjoy the luxuries we give up for the observance. In America, a large majority of people think it is just a day for heavy drinking. I hope to share more of the traditions of the Irish culture such as music, poetry, activities, gatherings, and the other less known facts. Maybe even spark a new interest or hobby in you! Minnesota, especially the Saint Paul area, has a vast array of places and events to submerge yourself into the Irish culture.


Kendra:
I am not Irish, but Ireland has a growing importance to me. As a young child, Ireland was just another country to me and Saint Patrick’s Day was just another holiday. Now, I find myself wanting to understand more about the country itself and its culture. One of my closest friends moved to Ireland to attend college. Now she is fully immersed in everything Irish including Saint Patrick’s Day. Because Ireland is now such a big part of her life, I want to learn all I can about it. Saint Patrick’s Day is such an important holiday to the Irish, and I want to understand and celebrate the holiday as a way to connect with my friend and the culture she lives in. Learning more about Ireland and Saint Patrick’s Day seems like a good way to start.


Lauren:
I grew up with my Irish heritage being pretty important on my father’s side of my family. Growing up I remember Saint Patrick’s Day being a big get together where we would eat a lot of Irish inspired food, my grandma would teach us about our Irish heritage, and the adults would drink a lot of beer. I actually tried my first beer on Saint Patrick’s day when I was very young. I remember my grandpa gave me a little glass no larger than a shot glass of beer every year, it always tasted like dirt but I wanted to fit in with the adults so I drank it anyways. Saint Patrick’s day is the celebration of Saint Patrick, since there were restrictions on alcohol and food, those restrictions were lifted on the day of his death, which is how the holiday got its reputation that it has today. Sometimes now I feel that the idea of drinking ruins the impact of the day, but if it means people are coming together and spending quality time with one another, I am glad to be a part of it. March 17th cannot come soon enough!


Courtney:
I am not Irish, but I really love traditions and celebrating indulgently (unfortunately, for me this does not include Guinness or whiskey), so Saint Patrick’s Day is perfect for me to embrace another culture. Also, let’s get this out there, I believe in what some would call “mythical” creatures. So, when Saint Patrick’s Day comes around, I know that leprechauns will be on the prowl. I’m not entirely superstitious, but I always wear something green on Saint Patrick’s Day because I really don’t like being pinched. For some background, green is symbolic for the Irish because they wore green uniforms when they rebelled against the British and their redcoats. Also, green is just a really great color. There’s a video below for “The Wearing of the Green”, giving a little background of the symbolism and importance of the color green.

Click here to learn more about why we wear green:

https://youtu.be/RZku2REI-Xs

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