ST. PATRICK’S DAY CELEBRATION
Middletown, NY is in a way, the place of conception and origin of Lastwolf. This great little city became that special place we always want to return to. The adopted hometown that lives in our hearts. The warmth of its people always contrasts with its cold days in winter. One of those places where traditions, honest values, and an American community's cultural heritage vibrate and live.
Middletown is no stranger to those traditional celebrations of its own and of more distant origins that shape daily life and what makes up our culture. Unlike big cities, people there greet each other on the sidewalks with the morning sun. Activities and events between people who know each other are enjoyed on a daily basis. Like other festivities, Saint Patrick's Day is also celebrated with different activities among their people and with the nearby communities.
But… who was Saint Patrick?
The man who would eventually become Saint Patrick was born in Britain, when it was still part of the Roman Empire, as Maewyn Succat in the late 4th century.
At the age of 16 (around AD 400) he was kidnapped from his home on the west coast of Britain by Irish pirates who took him to Ireland and forced him to work herding sheep. After six years, he managed to escape from his captors, walked almost 200 miles, and convinced some sailors to take him back to Brittany.
This harrowing experience no doubt influenced Maewyn who was convinced that divine intervention had protected him and brought him safely home.
Later he would return to Ireland as a man of faith preaching and touring the entire Irish territory for several years, making himself known and generating many legends such as the one that speaks of the banishment of the serpents from the Emerald Isle. In any case, the impact of Saint Patrick was significant enough to justify our modern celebrations.
Saint Patrick's Day tradition, which is celebrated on March 17 each year, it's based on his life, his actions and legends that since the 5th century have been transmitted through time. Over the centuries, St. Patrick's Day has become a day that celebrates all Irish and Irish American culture.
Which countries celebrate St. Patricks Day
While Ireland is the nation with which St. Patrick's Day is most associated, many countries worldwide celebrate the day with great enthusiasm, including Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Singapore. Saint Patrick's Day is a day to recognize Irish heritage and is celebrated by people of all backgrounds in many parts of the world. In the countries that celebrate it, there are many traditions and symbols such as the shamrock and the Irish top hat that are worn by people celebrating on this day.
St. Patrick’s Day traditions include celebrations centered around Irish-themed parties, drinks, and traditional food. Many people wear green clothes and eat green food. Irish clubs and pubs often host celebrations or have special offers. Large parades with marching bands take place in cities like Boston and New York. Even small communities across the country hold street parades to commemorate this day.
St. Patrick's symbol is a three-leaf clover, not a four-leaf clover. However, long before the shamrock became associated with Saint Patrick's Day, the ancient Celts considered the four-leaf clover to be a charm against evil spirits. The Celts called it "seamroy" and it was considered a sacred plant that symbolized the arrival of spring. By the 17th century, the shamrock had become a symbol of nascent Irish nationalism.
When was celebrated the first St. Patricks day parade?
Records show that a St. Patrick's Day parade was held on March 17, 1601 in a Spanish colony in what is now St. Augustine, Florida.
The first civic and public celebration of Saint Patrick's Day in the 13 colonies took place more than a century later, when Irish soldiers, nostalgic for their country and serving in the English army, marched in Boston in 1737.
The first recorded parade as such Patrick's Day took place in New York in 1762. The enthusiasm for St. Patrick's Day parades in New York City, Boston, and other early American cities grew from there.
Another essential symbol is the Leprechaun. A little red-haired man dressed in green, who is commonly associated with the festivities. The original Irish name for these folklore figures is "lobaircin", which means "little body mate". The belief in elves probably stems from the Celtic belief in fairies: tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. The original Irish fables portrayed the tiny creatures as ugly and mean. Elves were cobblers who hid the money they earned from their craft in pots hidden at the end of the rainbow.
While green has historically been associated with Saint Patrick's Day, Knights of the Order of Saint Patrick wore a color known as Saint Patrick's blue. The association with green is thought to probably date back to the 18th century when Irish independence motives used that color to represent their cause and has lasted to this day.
