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Celebrate ‘luck o’ the Irish’ on St. Patrick’s Day |
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Thursday, 08 March 2007 |
by ALLISON CASEY
Lifestyles Reporter
Irish eyes are smiling and there is whiskey in the jar.
St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner. So put on green, boil some potatoes, rosin up the bow, toast with “Slainte” and celebrate all things Irish.
Originally
a Catholic holy day honoring St. Patrick’s death, St. Patrick’s Day has
become a secular celebration of the Irish way of life.
The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place March 17, 1762 in New
York City, according to history.com. Irish soldiers serving in the
English military marched in the parade.
St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is rumored to have driven all
the snakes out of the country, though his actual claim to fame is
introducing Christianity to Ireland.
Rachael M. Crotts, a freshman special education major, can trace her family’s genealogy to St. Patrick.
“I was reading through my family’s [genealogy] book one day, and I
found that,” she said. “I was really surprised, especially because
we’re German.”
Surprisingly, her family doesn’t really celebrate the holiday, she said.
“It’s weird. You’d think we would, considering we’re related to St.
Patrick,” she said, laughing. “Once my Grandmother gave me a little
shamrock so I wouldn’t get pinched. That’s about it.”
Casey N. Everhart, a senior apparel and textiles major, spent last St. Patrick’s Day in Savannah, Ga.
Savannah is well known for its annual city-wide St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
The historic city boasts a huge parade that lasts about four hours
featuring marching bands, dancers, pirates and military, Everhart said.
“As the night progressed, it was similar to one huge party – Mardi
Gras,” she said. “There were people everywhere, a band playing in one
area and all the bars and clubs were packed.”
On Rivers Street, the main bar district on the waterfront of Savannah,
there is a tradition for women to put on red lipstick and kiss men on
the cheek.
“You can tell who was seen to be cuter or more favored by how many kisses they had,” Everhart said.
Although on the night of St. Patrick’s Day, Everhart said there was not
much to do in Savannah unless you were 21, the city still provides a
lot of daytime activities.
“Savannah is an incredible city with an amazing historical background,” she said. “I would recommend everyone go to Savannah.”
Chicago and Boston also host large-scale citywide St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
There’s still a chance I may get in touch with a girl who was in
Ireland last year…I haven’t been able to yet, but I’m still working on
it.
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