Photo courtesy Google Images
So today’s all about the green. My way of getting into the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day? I’m hosting the lucky Irish Take It Or Leave It game.
Before we embark on the this journey of totally random guessing, let’s explore a few facts about St. Patrick and his very party-friendly day.
1. The color green is commonly associated with Ireland, the Emerald Isle, but did you know that the actual color of St. Patrick is blue. In several artworks depicting the saint, he is shown wearing blue vestments. Green in Irish legends, was worn by faeries and immortals and by people who wanted to encourage their crops to grow. I didn’t even know saints had colors.
2. St. Patrick wasn’t Irish, and he wasn’t born in Ireland. Patrick’s parents were Roman citizens living in modern-day England, or more precisely in Scotland or Wales. Go figure.
3. The shamrock is a popular Irish symbol, but it is not the symbol of Ireland. The national symbol of Ireland is the harp. And I would have guessed the bag pipe. Duh.
4. Speaking of shamrocks, one estimate suggests that there are 10,000 3-leaf clovers for every 1 four-leaf. So your odds of finding a four-leaf clover are, about 1 in 10,000. Rather like the lottery.
5. The very first St. Patrick’s Day parade was not in Ireland. It was in Boston in 1787. Hey, I don’t make this stuff up.
Photo courtesy Google Images
6. The activity most associated with St. Patrick’s Day is drinking. However, Irish law, from 1903 to 1970, declared St. Patrick’s Day a religious observance for the entire country meaning that all pubs were shut down for the day. That meant no beer, not even the green kind, for public celebrants. The law was overturned in 1970, when St. Patrick’s was reclassified as a national holiday – allowing the taps to flow freely once again. Praise the Lord!
7. Speaking of drinking, the phrase “drowning the shamrock,” is from the custom of floating a shamrock on the top of whiskey before drinking it. The Irish believe that if you keep the custom, you will have a prosperous year.
So, now that you know all that, let’s see how well you think you know me. Here’s a reminder of the rules: Post your guesses (would I take it, or leave it) in the comments section below. I will post the choices on Monday and my responses on Thursday. The person with the most correct guesses is my winner, but you must re-post in the comments section in order to claim your prize. Unclaimed prizes will be forfeited after one week from posting the answers.
Good luck and happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Photo Courtesy Google Images
1. Kiss the blarney stone.
2. Kiss a drunken Irishman.
3. Sing Danny Boy acapella in a bar full of drunken Irishmen.
4. Eat corn beef and cabbage.
5. Drink green beer.
6. Drown the shamrock.
7. Perform an Irish jig in the St. Patrick’s Day parade.
8. Spend a hour looking for 4-leafers in a field of clover.
9. Wear blue instead of green in honor of St. Patrick.
10. Dye my hair green.
Do you do anything special for St. Patrick’s day? Are you Irish, or even a little bit Irish, or wish you were Irish?
Word of the day: Davit
Fun fact about me: I was once part of a bowling team.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, March 2014. Photos courtesy Google Images.
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