The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
We all know March 17 honours St. Patrick and we've seen the familiar Irish symbols, the parades, the green garb, the parties and greeting cards, but do you know where they originated and what they really mean? Take the test... Q. What nationality was St. Patrick? A. No, he was not an Irishman! This day was named for the saint born in Wales between 385 and 389 A.D. He is, however, credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland while travelling across the Emerald Isle's lush green countryside, establishing monasteries, schools and churches to aid in his religious teachings. Legend also says he drove the snakes out of Ireland, which is why there is not a serpent in Ireland today! IQ. Why do we wear the colour green on St. Patrick's Day? A. Green is associated with St. Patrick's Day because it is the colour of spring, Ireland and the shamrock. Q. What's considered good luck on St. Paddy's Day? A. Finding a four-leaf clover on this day is double the luck it usually is. Wearing green and kissing the blarney stone are also considered lucky. Q. What does the shamrock symbolize? A. The legend of the shamrock stems (no pun intended) from the Irish tale that St. Patrick compared the Holy Trinity to the three-leafed plant in his teachings to explain Christianity. The three leaves represent the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, while the stem represents the godhead itself. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day. Q. What is a leprechaun? A. Leprechauns are fairies who live in Ireland and were initially known as mean little creatures. Each is believed to possess a hidden pot o' gold! Just listen for the sound of a leprechaun's hammer - tap, tap, tap. Once you catch the crafty little fellow, he may reveal the hiding place of his treasure. Don't take your eyes off him, for if you do, he will disappear instantly. Q. What is the Blarney Stone? A. The Blarney Stone is set in the parapet of the Blarney Castle tower in the Irish village of Blarney. Kissing the stone is said to bring the kisser the gift of persuasive eloquence or "blarney". But kissing the Blarney Stone is not as easy as one might think Ð it's between the castle wall and the parapet. Kissers must lie on their back and bend backward (and downward), holding iron bars for support. Q. What is the largest St. Patrick's Day celebration? A. You would think it would be in Ireland, but the biggest celebration is in New York! With a grand parade and a green Empire State Building, the parade features more than 150,000 marchers. Q. What does Erin Go Braugh mean? A. Ireland Forever
