Mar 17, 2009

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

I have an assignment. Since writers are generally researchers can anyone give the true story of St. Patrick? I'll be checking to see if anyone googled it or knew it. And yes I do. Half my family history is Irish, the other half German. So it's a big holiday for us.

5 comments:

  1. I'm pretty sure this is how it happened... A few years back the Corn Beef and Cabbage Industry (those of us in the know call them the CBCI) decided to lobby congress for a CBC holiday. Unfortunately the Turkey and Potatoes (T&P) special interest groups convinced the legislature that having two food holidays would be confusing to the American people. Things were looking bleak for the CBCI until a Senator from Boston (does Boston have Senators? Hmmm) took up their cause. I'm pretty sure his name was Patrick. So he convinced Congress that a CBC holiday held in March would not only boost the economy (economy was a good argument even back then) but would be far enough removed from the Turkey holiday that those folks wouldn't complain. When the bill passed both houses, the CBCI named the holiday in honor of him: Patrick's Day. They added the "Saint" part to make it sound more official.
    I'm almost positive that's the story.

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  2. rotfl Sarah I think you might be right.

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  3. Actually, I think it had to do with the squirrels. There are green squirrels in Ireland, and they wanted a holiday all their own. The leprechauns objected for everyone knows he who has the gold has the power. Both tried to bribe the hander-outers of the holidays. All human and beasts know that the hander-outers are ever so greedy so of course the leprechauns won, and since their kings name is Angus, they naturally named the holiday St Patricks Day.

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  4. I asked my school kids this and they thought it was a chance to get away with pinching someone and looking for 4-leaf clovers. Hmmm. So, I told them St. Patrick was a Catholic priest in Ireland and passed out a worksheet. If I'd had more time, we could have learned so much more but it was the last day of school before break... sorry.

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  5. I have laughed so hard at all your ideas. Good ones!!! Thanks for participating.

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