So for all those who celebrate and enjoy St. Patrick's day, I hope you had a good day. Around this house, you wouldn't know it was St. Patrick's Day. My friend Mike, missed out on the green beer they had in his residence.
So when I was a child going to school in the country we did very little about St. Patrick's day. We may have drawn a few shamrocks and colored them green but not much more.
To be more exact we did not really recognize St. Patrick's day. We were country people and country people did not take notice of frivolous days. Our community was German Lutheran and they didn't do much celebrating. Garrison Keillor described a young Lutheran's guide to the symphony orchestra and they were very serious.
Another more serious hitch to St. Patrick's celebrations was that my family and community belonged to a religious denomination that didn't celebrate things unless it was described directly in the bible and sometimes even then they argued or bickered about it.
Well, I left the little farm community and got another look at celebrating special days. For a while it was more like Halloween and tricks were played. A common trick was to put green food dye in a toilet tank. On flushing the toilet some people were surprised.
Once I started teaching in middle school the big issue was that you would be pinched if you didn't wear some green. I only made that mistake once and after that I wore something green or every kid in the school would pinch you.
The story behind St. Patrick's day is well worth knowing.
So going from no fun St. Patrick's to all kinds of fun it's been an interesting ride.
For the past few years St Patrick's Day was just another day yet back in the day I do remember colouring shamrocks, pots of gold and leprechauns all while wearing green! University days though were another story!
ReplyDeleteThings change particularly when we get older.
DeleteI’m glad the pinched without green idea didn’t make it to the schools where I worked.
ReplyDeleteThe tradition was quite controlled. There was no mayhem even if it was middle school kids.
DeleteHappy St. Patrick's Day to you! Take care, have a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteI wore green yesterday but nobody seemed to notice. I like that idea of turning the toilet water green!
ReplyDeleteWell, when we get older nobody cares what we're wearing!
DeleteMy experience was pretty much along the same lines as yours. Color a few shamrocks in art class and wear something green to prevent getting pinched all day. When I was in my 20's and single, I did a lot of drinking on that day to be social but then after I got married, that all went away, mostly by personal choice. Perhaps the only thing I do now is I will go to the supermarket later this week to buy up leftover corned beef on discount to put in the freezer for some mid winter meals.
ReplyDeleteWe drank a lot as young guys in our day but the drinking is much worse today.
DeleteI get the sense that you are right after hearing some of the stories my oldest college aged daughter tells me when home on break. Fortunately, she doesn't seem inclined to want to drink which is just fine with me.
DeleteHappy St. Pat's Day to you, too, Red!
ReplyDeleteRed, I enjoyed reading about your evolving experience with St. Patrick’s Day. It’s interesting how different communities approach holidays, especially when traditions and religious beliefs shape the way they’re celebrated (or not celebrated). John
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting in the large school in Inuvik as to what traditions they brought.
DeleteI've never heard of being pinched if you didn't wear green!
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to find out where the pinching came from. I will look it up.
DeleteI guess I never knew about the pinching part. Growing up in a Sandinavian area we did not do anything for St Patricks Day.
ReplyDeleteThe Scandinavians had lots of their own celebrations.
DeleteMany years ago I learned never to go out on St Patricks Day, at least not to a place where certain beverages were favoured.
ReplyDeleteYes, it could get pretty wild. No holds barred.
DeleteWe really didn't celebrate it when we were kids. Now, living over here, it's a holiday and lots of people head to the pubs. It's a drinking holiday.
ReplyDeleteIt's a big day for pub business.
DeleteHa, I did in fact get pinched yesterday for forgetting my green!
ReplyDeleteAnd it was fun!
DeleteI've never really done this celebration. We usually had March Break during that time. I do like putting up the odd green things. I just didn't have the heart this year.
ReplyDeleteIt was the first Saints Day date that I remembered (and the only one I still know) because it was my only Uncle's birthday.
ReplyDeleteYes religious communities would not celebrate unless it was mentioned in holy book here as well.
ReplyDeleteYoung students look for such things so they can feel amused by teasing others..