The Tweens News | English

History:

St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish holiday celebrated all around the globe to honor the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick. Read on to learn more about the origin of the holiday and about the man who inspired it.

When Is St. Patrick’s Day?
Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated each year on March 17th.

Note for 2008: For 2008, the Catholic Church has officially moved St. Patrick’s Day to Saturday, March 15th to avoid a conflict with the Holy Week leading up to Easter Sunday. Most secular establishments in the US and Canada, such as restaurants and bars, will continue to celebrate the holiday on March 17th, and the 17th will remain a national day off from work in Ireland.

Who Was Saint Patrick?
Even though Saint Patrick the patron saint of Ireland and one of the most celebrated religious figures around the world, the factual information about his life and times is quite vague. Most information about St. Patrick has been twisted, embellished, or simply made up over centuries by storytellers, causing much ambiguity about the real life of St. Patrick. However, there are a some elements of his story about which most scholars accept to be true.

According to Coilin Owens, Irish literature expert and Professor Emeritus of English at George Mason University, Saint Patrick is traditionally thought to have lived “between 432-461 A.D., but more recent scholarship moves the dates up a bit.” At the age of sixteen he was kidnapped from his native land of the Roman British Isles by a band pirates, and sold into slavery in Ireland. Saint Patrick worked as a shepherd and turned to religion for solace. After six years of slavery he escaped to the Irish coast and fled home to Britain.

While back in his homeland, Patrick decided to become a priest and then decided to return to Ireland after dreaming that the voices of the Irish people were calling him to convert them to Christianity.

After studying and preparing for several years, Patrick traveled back to Ireland as a Christian missionary. Although there were already some Christians living in Ireland, St. Patrick was able to bring upon a massive religious shift to Christianity by converting people of power. Says Prof. Owens, “[St. Patrick] is credited with converting the nobles; who set an example which the people followed.”

But Patrick’s desire to spread of Christianity was not met without mighty opposition. Prof. Owens explains, “Patrick ran into trouble with the local pagan priesthood, the druids: and there are many stories about his arguments with them as well as his survival of plots against them.” He laid the groundwork for the establishment of hundreds of monasteries and churches that eventually popped up across the Irish country to promote Christianity.

Saint Patrick is also credited with bringing written word to Ireland through the promotion of the study of legal texts and the Bible, says Prof. Owens. Previous to Patrick, storytelling and history were reliant on memory and orally passing down stories.

Patrick’s mission in Ireland is said to have lasted for thirty years. It is believe he died in the 5th century on March 17, which is the day St. Patrick’s Day is commemorated each year.

The first year St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated in America in 1737 in Boston, Massachusetts. The first official St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in New York City in 1766. As the saying goes, on this day “everybody is Irish!” Over 100 U.S. cities now hold Saint Patrick’s Day parades.

Facts:

Below you will find a list of fun facts we’ve assembled about the Irish holiday St. Patrick’s Day.

Facts about St. Patrick’s Day Holiday

• St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
• In Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, people traditionally wear a small bunch of shamrocks on their jackets or caps. Children wear orange, white and green badges, and women and girls wear green ribbons in their hair.
• Many cities have a St. Patrick’s Day parade. Dublin, the capital of Ireland, has a huge St. Patrick’s Day festival from March 15-19, that features a parade, family carnivals, treasure hunt, dance, theatre and more. In North American, parades are often held on the Sunday before March 17. Some paint the yellow street lines green for the day! In Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green with a special dye that only lasts a few hours. There has been a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Boston, Massachusetts since 1737. Montreal is home to Canada’s longest running St. Patrick’s Day parade, which began in 1824.

Facts about Saint Patrick

• St. Patrick was born in 385 AD somewhere along the west coast of Britain, possibly in the Welsh town of Banwen. At age 16, he was captured and sold into slavery to a sheep farmer. He escaped when he was 22 and spent the next 12 years in a monastery. In his 30s he returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. He died at Saul in 461 AD and is buried at Downpatrick.

Facts about the Irish

• 34 million Americans have Irish ancestry, according to the 2003 US Census. That’s almost nine times the population of Ireland, which has 4.1 million people.
• Some American towns have “Irish” names. You could visit: Mount Gay-Shamrock, West Virginia; Shamrock Lakes, Indiana; Shamrock, Oklahoma; Shamrock, Texas; Dublin, California and Dublin, Ohio.
• The harp is the symbol of Ireland. The color green is also commonly associated with Ireland, also known as “The Emerald Isle.”
• The Irish flag is green, white and orange. The green symbolizes the people of the south, and orange, the people of the north. White represents the peace that brings them together as a nation.
• The name “lephrechaun” has several origins. It could be from the Irish Gaelic word “leipreachan,” which means “a kind of aqueous sprite.” Or, it could be from “leath bhrogan,” which means “shoemaker.”

Facts about Clovers

• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest number of leaves found on a clover is 14!
• One estimate suggests that there are about 10 000 regular three-leaf clovers for every lucky four-leaf clover.
• Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.

Jokes:

St. Patrick’s Day jokes and riddles will make you laugh for hours!

What is out on the lawn all summer and is Irish?

Paddy O’Furniture

What do you call a fake stone in Ireland?

A Shamrock

Why do frogs like St. Patrick’s Day?

Because they’re always wearing green

When is an Irish Potato not an Irish Potato?

When it’s a FRENCH Fry!

What does it mean when you find a horseshoe?

Some poor horse is going barefoot!

Why is a river rich?

Because it has two banks

What does a leprechaun call a happy man wearing green?

A Jolly Green Giant

Knock Knock
Who’s there?
Irish!
Irish Who?

Irish you a happy St-Patrick’s Day!

What is Barney’s favorite thing on St. Patricks day?

A BLARNEY stone

What do you get when you cross a pillowcase with a stone?

A Shamrock

Have you ever heard of the 6-leaf clover?

I haven’t either

Why do leprechauns hide behind 4-leafclovers and not 3-leafclovers?

They need all the luck they can get!

What do you say to a leprechaun?

How’s the weather down there?

What is a nuahcerpel?

Leprechaun spelled backwards! =D

Source:

- http://holidays.kaboose.com/patrick-history.html

- http://holidays.kaboose.com/saint-patricks-day/quick_facts.html

- http://holidays.kaboose.com/patrick-games-jokes.html

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You might need to use tools that require adult supervision, such as glue gun and scissors. If so, these can be replaced by textile glue and safety scissors. Make sure you ask your parents some help.

This pot of gold craft can be used as a table decoration for St. Patrick’s Day or as the number shaker in our “Pot of Gold Game”.

What you’ll need:

How to make it:

1. Wash and dry thoroughly the yogurt cup.
2. Spray paint the yogurt cup with black paint. Let dry. You may need to spray a few coats to cover.
3. Cut circles out of cardboard.
4. Spray paint the cardboard circles with gold paint. Let dry.
5. Fill your “pot” with “gold.” Display on your table as a place setting.
6. Use a gold paint pen to write on a name on the pot, if desired.

Source: http://crafts.kaboose.com/potgold.html

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•No touching knives or the stove
•Do not touch any appliances without adult supervision.
•Always wash your hands before handling food.

This creamy, light pie is a delicious finale to a St. Patrick’s Day feast. A citrusy custard is sandwiched between a graham cracker crust and whipped cream, and green sprinkles lend holiday sparkle.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sweetened condensed milk and the lime juice until it is smooth.
2. Pour it into the pie crust. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until set. Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
3. Pipe whipped cream on top of the pie or spread it with non-dairy whipped topping. Sprinkle the top of the pie with green sprinkles.

Substitution(s)

Make-Ahead

Tips & Tricks

Source: http://recipes.kaboose.com/lime-pie.html

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You might need to use tools that require adult supervision, such as glue gun and scissors. If so, these can be replaced by textile glue and safety scissors. Make sure you ask your parents some help.

Make yourself fashionable on St. Patrick’s Day with a Leprechaun hat. Kids can craft an old ice-cream container into something magical!

What you’ll need:

How to make it:

1. Trace around the bottom of the ice cream container on the green felt with the black marker.
2. Cut out the circle.
3. Glue the circle to the bottom of the ice cream container.
4. Cut a piece of green felt to go around the container. You may need two pieces of felt.
5. Glue the felt around the container.
6. Punch a hole right below the lip of the container. Repeat on the opposite side. (You may need to use the scissors if the hole punch has troubles.)
7. Trace around a large circular object that is as big around as a piece of felt is wide.
8. Cut out the circle. This will be the floppy part (brim) of the hat.
9. Sit the ice cream container, open side down, on the middle of the felt circle. Trace around the container.
10. Cut a circle out of the middle of the felt large circle about 2″ inside the lines. Discard this inner circle.
11. Make snips in the felt from the cutout area to the drawn lines to create “tabs”. This will allow you to push the “tabs” up inside the hat and glue in place.
12. Turn the ice cream container/hat on the flat end. Lay the circle with the snips on top of the open end of the container. Run a bead of glue around the inside of the container near the rim.
13. Push the tabs up into the container and against the glue. (Note: This is where the hot glue comes in handy as it sets up quickly. If using hot glue, only run about a 3″ length of glue at a time.)
14. Once the glue has set up, punch a hole in the felt on the brim of the hat next to the hole on the ice cream container. Repeat for other side.
15. Cut a strip about 2″ wide out of the black felt.
16. Cut a 4″ square out of the gray felt.
17. Cut a rectangle in the middle of the gray felt about 1 1/4″ x 2″. Discard the little piece of felt.
18. Check positioning of the black band by laying it around the hat about an inch above the brim. Cut off any excess felt where it meets in the back.
19. Lay the gray (buckle) over the black band as shown in the photograph. Once the layout is satisfactory, glue in place.
20. Cut the piece of ribbon in half.
21. Thread one piece of ribbon from the inside of the hat to the outside. Tie a double or triple knot on the inside of the hat with one end of the ribbon. Take the piece of ribbon on the outside and push down through the hole in the brim.
22. Repeat with the other piece of ribbon.
23. Place the hat on your head and tie the ribbon in a bow under your chin.
24. Have fun with your new Leprechaun hat!

Tips:

• This could possibly be made with construction paper for a lower cost project.

Source: http://crafts.kaboose.com/leprechaun-hat.html

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•No touching knives or the stove
•Do not touch any appliances without adult supervision.
•Always wash your hands before handling food.

There’s something wonderful, homey, and comforting about poached eggs. Put them over leftover corned beef and potatoes and you’ve got a winner of plate for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or midnight snack.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. In a small skillet melt butter, add in the potatoes and stir occasionally cooking about 3 minutes, until heated through.
2. In another small, shallow skillet bring water with a little bit of vinegar or lemon juice to a simmer. With a handle of a wooden spoon or some other small, non-heat-conducting implement, make a swirling motion in the middle of the water to form a vortex and immediatley put in the egg. Cook about 4 minutes, until white is cooked and yolk is still soft.
3. Place a few slices of corned beef on a plate along with potatoes and top with poached egg. Season with salt and pepper.

Preparation Time: 2 minutes

Cooking Time: 7 minutes

Ready In: 10 minutes

Servings: 1

Source: http://recipes.kaboose.com/corned-beef-potatoes-poached-egg.html

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