 |
St. Patrick's Day |
|
|---|
|
This day marks the beginning of spring even when
it snows during the St. Patrick's Day parade in downtown Buffalo.
St. Patrick's Day is an American holiday paying tribute to our Irish heritage.
Everyone's ancestors came from Ireland on St. Patrick's Day, whether they
really did or not.
Our cousins from Ireland, were mystified by this American custom. For them St. Patrick's Day is a quiet religious holiday commemorating St. Patrick. For us….well here are some of the local customs: The 17th of March means it is time to dig out that Irish music tape or CD. It is time to pull out that Irish accent and perhaps dance an Irish jig. If music does not appeal to you several movies exist to get you in the proper mood. Leprechauns, Darby O' Gill and the Little People, or The Quiet Man will all do quite nicely. You wear green on St. Patrick's Day, unless you are honoring Northern Ireland. Then you wear orange. If neither color is in your wardrobe, a shamrock pin, or Ireland button attached to your shirt or jacket will do. A St Patrick's Day meal is corned beef and cabbage, soda bread, and potatoes. Corned beef although it is expensive now a days, was once one of the cheepest cuts available. Before refrigerators were common in every household the meat needed to be preserved so it would not spoil before it could be eaten. Many Irish families immigrated from Ireland to the United States because of the potato famine. They did not have a lot of money when they came to this country. Out of necessity corn beef and cabbage was a popular meal. Now, sometimes corned beef costs too much. Sometimes we have shepherd's pie instead. Shepherd's pie is hamburger cooked with mashed potatoes and vegetables. |
