Post by Rick (Admin) on Mar 17, 2013 11:45:27 GMT -5
Exploring the roots of St. Patrick's Day
St. Paddy’s day was celebrated early on in the
Porcupine Camp. Here is an ad from The Porcupine
Advance for the Schumacher Fireman’s St. Patrick’s
Day dance in 1933.
TIMMINS - “May the holes in your net be no larger than the fish in it,” — Author Unknown.
“Here’s to a long life and a merry one. A quick death and an easy one. A pretty girl and an honest one. A cold beer and another one!” — Author Unknown.
“May the Irish hills caress you. May her lakes and rivers bless you. May the luck of the Irish enfold you. May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.” — Irish Blessing.
First of all, a huge shout out to the Timmins Pipes and Drums, who are marching in New York City today as part of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade — quite the honour, and quite the party.
Sorry, but I can’t help it, St. Paddy’s Day is infectious! So allow me just one more blessing for the band and the Police Chief: May you always walk in sunshine, May you never want for more, May Irish angels rest their wings right beside your door!
Before we start looking at how we celebrate this day, I think we should answer the question “who was St. Patrick?”
Yes, he is a Saint in the Catholic Church. Surprisingly, he was not Irish (he was born in Dumbarton, Scotland, in 387AD).
Surprise No. 2: His parents, Calpurnius and Conchessa, were Romans who lived and worked in Romano-Britain.
At the age of 14, he was captured during a raid of his village and brought back to Ireland as a slave (he would be used as a shepherd to tend to the sheep).
A devout Christian, he prayed every day for help from God.
He finally was able to escape (at the age of 20) and returned to his family. There, he decided to become a priest and he joined the Church in Gaul.
But Ireland was calling, and he soon returned to the Emerald Isle as a bishop.
He spread the word amongst the tribes and is attributed with starting the Irish Church.
Patrick was responsible for many miracles including 33 resurrections (including that of a horse), the conversion of 120,000 people and the building of 300 churches (the shamrock is a symbol for St. Patrick’s Day because the Saint used the common little plant to teach the idea of the Holy Trinity).
He is famous for driving the snakes out of Ireland, but no matter how flamboyant the story, it really did not happen. And as for his sainthood, at the time of his death, there was no formal mechanism for beatification.
He was made a Saint “by popular demand.”
Today, St. Patrick’s Day has turned into a worldwide celebration of Irish tradition and culture. Somehow, that translates into wearing the green, drinking the green and celebrating the green with a parade.
The wearing of green clothing (not to be confused with “the wearing of the green” which means wearing a shamrock on your lapel) originates with the 1798 Irish rebellion. The Irish soldiers wore green uniforms on March 17 to bring public attention to their cause.
And seeing that green is such a popular colour for the day, it did not take long for someone to decide that adding food colouring to the beer would be a great idea.
(In my humble opinion, green beer is sacrilege — hoist a proper Guiness Draught or a Smithwick’s Irish Ale instead , please.)
Parades have become the most popular ways to publicly celebrate the holiday.
The first St. Patrick’s Day parade was not held in Ireland, but took place in Boston Massachusetts in 1737.
New York City started holding their parade in 1762 (a full 14 years before the American Revolution).
Homesick Irish settlers enjoyed celebrating their homeland and wearing green.
In Canada, Montreal hosts a parade that goes back to 1824, while other cities have joined in with their own celebrations.
March 17 is a provincial holiday in Newfoundland and Labrador.
As with all holidays, we simply cannot forget the food — corned beef and cabbage, soda bread, Irish stew, Irish oatmeal but, please, no green food.
For a truly traditional Irish meal, think “colcannon.” The recipe for this dish first appeared in 1775 and includes potatoes, cabbage, butter, onions and cream — hearty fare for those marching in the parade, no doubt.
So, however you choose to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year, “May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.” Eire go Bràch.
— Karen Bachmann is the director/curator of the Timmins Museum and a local author.
www.timminspress.com/2013/03/16/exploring-the-roots-of-st-patricks-day