Saint Patrick's Day March 17

In Irish Gaelic:
Lá Fhéile Pádraig (LAW AY-luh PAW-rihg) = St. Patrick's Day
Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh! (BAN-uhkh-tee nuh FAY-luh PAW-rihg O-rihv) = Happy St. Patrick's Day to You All!

Visit the Ulitmate St. Patrick Page!  To Patrick!
Make a St. Patrick's Cross and be Prepared
-Go to the St. Patrick's Cross Craft Page
For Poetry and Writing of the Saint go to:Pat's Verse!

Traditional customs for the proper celebration of the day-and Yes we know that Ireland has tried its best to discard its historic culture in favor of progress,i ndustrialization and American commercialism-but customs are important to give meaning to life and joy to the soul so here they are:
1.Wear an emblem in honor of the saint-a custom which dates from as early as 1681-and the account of Thomas Dinely. Generally a green ribbon the shamrock or a saint patricks cross(circle or square of paper decorated with green ribbon and bits of priests vestments by girls and small children-for boys a paper cross in the style of the Celtic illuminations carefully decorated)

 2. Go to work and demand the "Patrick's Groat" take leave of your capitalistic master and go to town and spend it all.(very few of the zealous should be found sober at night account(Dinely 1681!). 3.Men should make a cross of a twig of wild sallow and pin it to the thatch inside the house or above the door.

 4.You may also wear a harp shaped badge

 5.Wear the "Trifolium repens"-white clover (Identified as such by Caleb Threlkeld in 1727)

 6.After church go to the pub to drink the "pota Pa/draig"-St. Patricks pot. Many acts of devotion should be followed by an equal number of acts of copious libation...

 7.Say this quaint line when doing so:

 Ordain a Statute to be Drunk

 And burn Tobacco free as Spunk

 And (fat shall never be forgot"

 In Usquebah,St. Patrick's Pot

 (Farewell 1689)

 8.Actually it is doubtful if anyone knows what a shamrock is(Early 20th century-Nathaniel Colgan asked around Ireland and found that it could be-Trifolium repens,(white clover), Folium minus-(leser trefoil),Trifolium pratense(purple clover),Medicagio Lupulina(Black Medick) So take your pick!

 9.Give treats and gifts to friends and children.

 10.Put shamrock which has been worn on the day into the last glass of drink-then toast to the health of all and pick the wet drowned shamrock out of the glass and toss it over the left shoulder.

 11.Using a burnt stick make a cross on the sleeve of each member of the household

 12.You have to eat meat and you do not need any special dispensation to do so. Jocelin notes that as early as 1100 AD people ate meat in Lent due to an account of St.Patrick doing so and then being forgiven the meat turning to fish in the boiling water.

 17.You must begin your planting soon after St. Patrick's day-(peas are best planted on the day. (Source-Kevin Danaher- The Year in Ireland Mercier Press Cork,1972) 

Saint Patrick's Breastplate

The prayer used by St. Patrick to protect his followers from the King-He prayed and the whole group changed into deer and ran past the warriors to the hall of the king where he successfully did a battle of words with the Druids.
I bind me to-day
Gods might to direct me
Gods Power to protect me
Gods wisdom for learning
Gods eye for discerning
Gods ear for my hearing
Gods Word for my clearing

Gods hand for my cover
Gods path to pass over
Gods buckler to guard me
Gods army to ward me
Against snares of the devil
Against vices temptation
Against wrong inclination
Against men who plot evil
Near or afar with many or few

Christ near
Christ here
Christ be with me
Christ beneath me
Christ within me
Christ behind me
Christ be o er me
Christ Before me

Christ in the left and the right
Christ hither and thither
Christ in the sight
Of each eye that shall seek me
In each ear that shall hear
In each mouth that shall speak me
Christ not the less
In each heart I address
I bind me to-day on the Triune I call
With faith in the Trinity-unity
God over all.

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