It Ain't Easy Being Green

Welcome to the St. Patrick’s Day Blog Hop. Over 120 bloggers today are telling anything they can about being Irish, celebrating the day, wearing green, drinking green beer... pretty much anything!

Each author will be giving away a prize. Like a swag pack, gift cards, ebooks, print books, and so much more. On THIS blog, the prize is a $10 Starbucks gift certificate.

PLUS there will be TWO Grand Prizes for TWO different winners!

Grand Prize 1: Winner's Choice of a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
Grand Prize 2: Winner's Choice of a $90 Amazon or Barnes&Noble Gift Card

There are over 120 bloggers participating. Comment on as many as you want. The grand prize winners will be chosen at random from the commenters from ALL the blogs - meaning you can comment on EACH blog - meaning 120 entries to the grand prize.

Click on the links at the end of the post to visit the other blogs.

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Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but before I wrote this blog, the only thing I know about St. Patrick’s Day is that it’s on March 17, it’s an Irish holiday, and it’s an excuse to wear green, eat corned beef and cabbage, and drink beer.

So, I thought I’d do some quick research to find out the origin and meaning of SPD.

According to Wikepedia, it’s a cultural and religious holiday that commemorates Saint Patrick (c. AD 387–461), a patron saint of Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.  It was made an official feast in the early 17^th century and has become a celebration of Irish culture.

It is a public holiday in Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Montserrat. In North America, St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated since the late eighteenth century.

So, who exactly was Saint Patrick? He was born in Roman Britain in the fourth century. At 16, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland as a slave. He fled captivity and returned to Britain and joined the church, studying to be a priest. He was a Catholic Saint credited with converting the island to Christianity. Irish folklore tells that he used the shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish people.

What is a shamrock? It's not used just for Lucky Charms and Shamrock Shakes, but it’s actually a three-leafed plant. A white clover. It was traditionally used for its medical properties and was a popular motif in Victorian times. 

Why wear green? Originally, the color associated with Saint Patrick was blue.  Over the years, the color green became associated with the day. And, of course, shamrocks are green. Ironically, in Ireland, there is very little reference to green—it’s more of an American thing. I mean really—you don’t want to get pinched, do you?

Speaking of, why do we pinch people not wearing green on March 17? Apparently, the tradition of pinching started in the U.S. in the 1700s. St. Patrick’s Day celebrators thought wearing green made one invisible to leprechauns, who would pinch anyone they could see. Because everyone knows leprechauns can’t see you if you’re wearing green.

Why corned beef and cabbage? It’s considered a traditional Irish meal, but apparently in Ireland today, the serving of corned beef is primarily for tourists, and many Irish in Ireland don’t identify the meal as native cuisine. I’ve also heard that corned beef was the only meat that Irish immigrants could afford when they came to American, and that it’s now a reminder of their immigrant past.

And why is it called corned beef? The term comes from the treatment of the beef with “corns” of salt.

Why green beer? Really? You really need an answer for that? I didn’t think so.

So there you have it. A brief explanation of St. Patrick’s Day. Now don’t forget to wear green tomorrow. You don’t want those pesky leprechauns to see you…

After leaving your comment here, for a chance at a $10 Starbucks gift card, visit the other blogs linked below for your chance at their giveaways, and for a chance at the grand prizes!