St. Patrick's Day is on Monday, March 17th! In celebration, here are some St. Paddy's traditions to try:
- Search for a lucky clover: “Long considered a Celtic token of good luck, these rare pieces of greenery are the ultimate needle in a haystack. If the grassy surrounds have turned green where you live, spend some time searching for a token of your own" (Country Living).
- Make Irish soda bread: “For the bread to be lucky, you have to cut a cross on the top ‘to let the devil out’ (as well as to release steam during cooking), a superstition held by both the Irish and Irish Americans" (Reader's Digest).
- Engage in Irish arts & culture: “A treat on St. Patrick's Day is to catch Irish stepdancers as they glide, leap, and jump across the floor. Many parades or festivals are sure to have performances" (Country Living).
- Wear green: “One of the luckiest St. Patrick’s Day traditions is super simple: Just don the color green! The wearing of green was a political and cultural identity movement in Ireland, and a stand against [British] colonialism" (Reader's Digest).
- Attend Mass: “If you're religious, you might find a special service for St. Patrick on March 17. In Ireland, the day is actually a holy day of obligation, meaning that church-goers are expected to attend mass" (Country Living).
- Don’t dye your food and drinks green: “Green food is not an Irish tradition, possibly due to the historical trauma of the Great Famine, when Irish folk literally had no choice but to eat grass in an attempt to survive, then would often die of starvation with green-colored mouths from eating grass" (Reader's Digest).
- Instead… Have a Guiness! “The thick, rich Irish dry stout is a must-have on St. Patrick's Day. It's estimated that nearly 13 million pints of Guinness are consumed on St. Patrick's Day across the world" (Country Living).
What is your favourite St. Patrick's Day tradition? Let us know in the comments below!
(Image via Canva)
Posted by Ken Richter on
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