By:
Eric C. Mirzaian, at Foreclosure Express, (800) 616-7355
St. Patrick's Day, Friday March 17
Shamrock is the
traditional icon of the St. Patrick's Day.
And this stems from how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain
the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity.
His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day. What
a Great Holiday! The Irish (and the Irish for a day) dig out their green socks
and green bowler hats. St.
Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17 to honor Patrick, Ireland's patron
saint.
The Irish
heritage has had a profound influence on our nation. Nine of the people who signed our Declaration of Independence
were of Irish origin and nineteen Presidents of the United States proudly claim
Irish heritage --including our first President, George Washington.
This is the Day that makes nearly Everyone, Everywhere wish they were
Irish! The mouthwatering smell of corned beef and cabbage permeates homes
everywhere and if you aren't wearing green, you will be pinched---you can count
on it! There are always parties and fun
to be had on St. Patrick's Day. Lots of businesses get into the spirit with such things as Green
Beer or, for the less daring or foolhardy, green ice cream shakes at
places like McDonald's and Sonic. Restaurants large and small serve corned beef
and cabbage dinners. Irish party with a capital P. Everyone wears as much green
as they can come up with from their closets and doff glittery hats, Shamrocks
attached by waving springs on headbands.
And the celebration will continue until the wee hours (for some).
Did you know that
St. Patrick was not even Irish? Surprised?
Almost 1600 years ago the patron saint and national hero of Ireland was
born to a Gaelic family who had migrated to Britain. The child was called
Succat, which meant "warlike". Since Britain was part of the Roman
Empire and had become Christian, the child was baptized and called Patricius,
meaning "noble". For 16
years, Patrick lived a normal life as the son of a prosperous landowner and
magistrate. St. Patrick was born in
Roman Britain, around 389. St. Patrick's real name was Maewyn Succat. Saint Patrick was
kidnapped at the age of 16 by pirates and sold into slavery to Ireland where he was a shepherd for 6 years. During his 6-year captivity he found strength in
his religious faith, he studied and turned to religion. He escaped slavery and later
returned to Ireland as a missionary, to
spread the Christian word there, determined to convert Ireland
to Christianity. He worked for 40 years in Ireland, preaching,
baptizing, and establishing churches, schools, and colleges. He used the shamrock, Legend has it that Saint
Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland banishing the
venomous serpents by beating his drum
-- that they all went into the sea and drowned. The snake was a revered pagan
symbol, and perhaps this was a figurative tale alluding to the fact that he
drove paganism out of Ireland.
It is sometimes reported that St. Patrick died on March 17, 493 after
bringing the Christian faith to Ireland. This date is not confirmed.
As the Irish
emigrated around the world, they took the St. Pat's celebration with them, and
today parades are held in some of the unlikeliest places you can imagine. By the way, Fáilte romhat means welcome in
Irish. May your blessings outnumber the
shamrocks that grow and may trouble avoid you wherever you go.
St. Patrick's Day
Cake: Angel food cake (store bought or made from mix); fluffy green frosting
(no cook); 1 1/2 cups cold milk; 1 envelope Dream Whip Topping Mix, 1 pkg. (4
serving size) Pistachio; flavor Jello Instant Pudding; prepare cake for
frosting by wiping with moist cloth to remove brownish crumbs. Prepare frosting
as follows: pour cold milk into deep bowl; add Dream Whip and instant pudding
mix. Beat slowly to blend. Gradually increase to high speed until mixture forms
soft peaks. Frost cake immediately. Decorate as desired.
©Copyright 2000, by: Eric C. Mirzaian