Feb 22, 2022 08:45PM●By Karmel Harper
By Karmel Harper | [emailprotected]
Local Danielle MillarStoddard's Irish mother celebrated St. Patrick's Day by wearing orange.
"My greatgrandfather was Protestant Irish and raised his children to wear orange on St.Patrick's Day. My grandmother would let my mom and her siblings wear green sothey wouldn't get pinched at school, but if Grandpa was coming over, they hadto change quickly to something orange; otherwise, Grandpa would get so mad. Hewas very stubborn and set in his ways!"
The green color ruleson March 17, but not all people wear green. Some wear orange.
First celebrated in1631, St. Patrick's Day is a Roman Catholic holiday that honors the patronsaint of Ireland. The color green is the Irish Catholic tradition, but not allIrish citizens are Catholic. Some are Protestant. Protestants wear orange tohonor William of Orange, the Protestant king who overthrew Roman Catholic KingJames II in the Glorious Revolution in 1688.
The Irish flag, withits vertical blocks of green, white, and orange, is representative of the blendingof the cultures. The green represents the majority of Roman Catholics; theorange represents the minority Protestants; and the white in the center symbolizespurity and peace between the two sides.
According to the websitePatriot Wood, "When Ireland's flag was created, white was chosen as thecentral color to represent a lasting truce and hope for peace between the twosides. It represents the ideal that every person has a part in Ireland,regardless of political stance, religion, or ethnicity."
Other Irish traditionson St. Patrick's Day include a meal of corned beef and cabbage, which,according to Delish.com, isn't actually the national dish of Ireland. It'stypically only eaten in the U.S. around the holiday.
"During the timeof the Irish immigration to the U.S., the first generation of Irish-Americanswere in search of the comforting tastes of their homeland. On St. Paddy's Day,that meant boiled bacon. But the immigrants were too poor to afford the highprice of pork and bacon products. Instead, they turned to the cheapest cut ofmeat available: beef brisket. The corned beef was paired with cabbage, as itwas one of the cheapest vegetables available to the Irish immigrants,"said the website.
While St. Patrick'sDay is just another day to some people, to others, the celebrations go beyondwearing green to avoid getting pinched. Herriman’s Denise Wooten Christiansensaid, "As a granddaughter of Irish immigrants, St. Patrick's Day isspecial to me and it's become special to my children. I decorate our home, weara special green chenille shamrock pin that my grandma made for every child andgrandchild in our family every year, and eat corned beef and cabbage fordinner. It is a day to remember our Irish heritage and to carry on the multi-generationaltraditions of our family,"
Regardless of how youcelebrate or not celebrate St. Paddy's Day, perhaps this famous Irish blessingthat abounds this time of year resonates: "May the road rise to meet you,May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. Therains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you inthe palm of his hand."
Or perhaps this Irishblessing that local resident Megan Sticht shared may be more appropriate toyour mood: "May those who love us, love us. And those that don't love usmay God turn their hearts. And if He doesn't turn their hearts, may He turntheir ankles, that we may know them by their limping."
