Posted by By Oretta Croushore, Property Manager for Home Rental Services
It’s said that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. We’re just in time to learn a little about the traditions associated with this all inclusive holiday. Who better than your friendly red-headed property manager to teach you? Am I Irish? 23 and Me was a little sketchy on that, but on March 17th I am!
The blue is always greener on the other side
It turns out, St. Patrick’s signature color wasn’t shamrock green at all! It was a specific blue called “St. Patrick’s Blue.” I wonder if this was the pre-internet version of “what color is this dress.” I couldn’t find any actual facts to back that theory up, but I’m still sure that’s how it was.
I do know that blue was historically a difficult pigment to produce. It was often produced using poisonous berries. The cost of these pigments was higher in part due to the peril to the merchants producing them. Thus, we see blue and purple being associated with the aristocracy because they were the only ones who could afford it. (Death to the producer is a small price to pay for some good royal blue swag, after all.)
The shift to green came about after the 1798 Irish Rebellion and the surge of Irish nationalism. It’s after this time, that we start to see the flags and uniforms of Ireland move from blue to green.
Speaking of blue to green, the city of Chicago has dyed the river green since 1962. I happened to see a clip on the news this weekend showing how they do it. The tour boats that go around the river shoot out green dye from the back! Now, you know.
Shamrocks – for more than just shakes
I have a friend born and raised in Ireland, and she would be very disappointed in me if I did not share this PSA. A shamrock is not a four leaf clover, and a four leaf clover is not a shamrock! Once you know this, you will never unsee all the times they are used interchangeably. The shamrock has three leaves.
Like all symbols, its origin and meaning differ in the history books. One explanation is that the three leaves represent the Holy Trinity. The number three is a significant number in Christianity as well as in paganism. The shamrock was sacred to ancient Celts for representing land, sea, and sky or birth, death, and renewal.
“Drowning the shamrock” is an ancient custom of placing a shamrock in the bottom of a cup and filling it with whiskey for a prosperous year. It is unclear if the same good fortune can be gained by the drinking of a Shamrock Shake from McDonald’s. I know it’s a tradition for many, but this leprechaun does not care for the similarity to Scope mouthwash, both in the appearance of the syrup and the flavor of the drink. One man’s whiskey with a plant in it is another man’s Mickey D’s tradition. To each his own.
Fewer snakes than you can shake a stick at
I feel like I should preface this one with a spoiler alert. I found out that the whole “snakes being driven from Ireland” is a myth. I was pretty devastated upon learning this. I’ve always felt like I could really support a guy who could get the snakes to leave. It turns out that science tells us there are no snakes native to Ireland. (Wondering how remotely I can work…) The forked-tongue fellers couldn’t survive in the climate there since Ireland was surrounded by water and covered in glaciers during the last ice age.
Some say the snake driving was a symbol of St. Patrick’s introduction of Christianity, driving out old beliefs. In that same vein, some make a connection to biblical serpents showing St. Pat’s victory over sin and evil. I, for one, will continue to enjoy the image of a guy in a greenish-blue outfit shaking a stick and leading a bunch of creepy snakes off the island. There’s also a good chance this image gets confused in my head with the Pied Piper.
Corned beef, an Irish-American struggle meal
HRS’s very own Kandy taught most of us about the traditional Irish Breakfast, or “fry up.” She and her family have a tradition to find an Irish Breakfast to celebrate St. Patty’s day. The meal features Irish sausage, Irish bacon (called rashers), fried eggs, grilled tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, baked beans, toast, and blood sausage with a nice strong Irish tea. Admittedly, I have never tried it so I can’t speak to its deliciousness. I can’t quite get myself past the name “blood sausage.” Talk about a product that could use a rebranding. I do give credit for creativity here. It makes me think of the nights I pull out all the leftovers from the fridge and tell the family to have at it.
If Irish Breakfast isn’t your thing, you are most certainly familiar with the Reuben sandwich. I have some near and dear Reuben lovers in my life. Turns out, there was no St. Reuben, though I am pretty sure my husband and my best friend regularly pay humble homage to him. When Irish immigrants arrived in New York, they found the traditional salt-cured bacon pork to be expensive. The Jewish butchers had corned beef available at a much lower price. Fun fact: the “corned” in corned beef refers to corns of salt used to cure the meat, not corn like from a cob. Corned beef and cabbage is mostly an American tradition and not as well known in Ireland.
Leprechauns: How to tell the fake from the real
Leprechauns don’t even know how they became associated with St. Patrick’s Day. In Irish folklore, they were depicted as small, supernatural tricksters. Often, they are described as shoe makers but only making one shoe, not pairs. (There’s a back story I would like to know). Their association with March 17th may be related to their connection to gold.
Leprechauns are known for guarding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If they are captured by a human, they are forced to reveal the gold to that human. The Leps, too, had a wardrobe change somewhere in history. Traditionally, they are depicted as wearing red. I guess green looks better with all that gold. To determine if the leprechaun you see is real, first assess how much green beer you have had. If you can’t remember, it’s probably not real. Second, if you try to capture it and you end up with a pot of gold, it’s real! If you end up with a restraining order, it was fake.
Now that you are educated on some of the history of St. Patrick’s Day, get out your green clothes, order a Reuben sandwich, and drown a shamrock for good fortune.
Raise your glass with me as we toast:
May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go!
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