I’m part Irish by heritage, but of the Northern, Protestant, “Orange”, variety. When I was growing up in Pittsburgh, my mother and grandmother always insisted we should wear orange on St. Patrick’s Day. Then we moved to Southern California and I quickly discovered that not wearing green on March 17th meant complete strangers would pinch you. I rarely made that mistake again. Besides, I look better in green than in orange.
I do have one pet peeve though. I cringe every time I walk into a restaurant and see a sign advertising “St. Patty’s Day” specials. Patty is short for Patricia. The proper nickname for Patrick is Paddy, a name once used pejoratively for Irishmen. Now there may be a St. Patricia, and she may have her own special day, I wouldn’t know, I’m not Catholic. But please stop emasculating St. Patrick!
St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland,
This is one of my favorite Irish blessings:
Here’s to lying, stealing, and cheating!
May you lie to save a friend;
May you steal the heart of the one you love;
And may you cheat death.
And my own St. Patrick’s Day wish:
On St. Paddy’s Day,
My wish for you
Is a large bowl
Of Irish stew.
And a pint or two
Of your favorite brew.
And may you be an hour in heaven before the devil knows you’re gone!
What are you doing for St. Patrick’s Day?
Linda / Lyndi
St Patrick is for Irish people as important as St Andrew is for Romanians, I think.
Thank you for the lovely blessings – I love both of them. And here’s one from me to you:
“May you have warm words on a cold evening,
a full moon on a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door.”
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Linda!
Carmen
Thanks, Carmen. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you, too.
Interesting that Romanians look to St. Andrew. He’s the patron saint of Scotland, also.
I appreciated the post and I, too, remember about the pinching by classmates if green wasn’t part of your attire that day. Thanks for sharing the blessings.
Happy St. Paddy’s Day, Linda.