Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Every year on March 17, Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated around the world in honor of Ireland's patron saint. On this day, mass processions with dances and songs are held in the cities.

It is believed that Patrick drove out all the snakes from the island. And by the way, there are no snakes in Ireland.

Now the holiday is celebrated all over the world, but the main celebrations are held in the capital of Ireland. Costumed parades are held on the central streets of Dublin, people relax in pubs, and in the evening the holiday ends with fireworks and fireworks.

 There are many different traditions associated with the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, both Christian and folk. The Christian ones include the annual ascent of pilgrims to the holy mountain of Croagh Patrick, on which the saint prayed and fasted for 40 days. Folk ones include the tradition of drinking at least one glass of alcohol in some pubs. Initially, the most common drink on this day was whiskey, and later ale became very popular. There is a so-called "Patrick's Cup" - a unit of measure for drinking whiskey. Before drinking the last glass of whiskey, it was necessary to put a shamrock in the glass. It was called "draining the shamrock." After drinking whiskey, the shamrock was supposed to be thrown behind the back over the left shoulder - for good luck.

 According to folk tradition, on this date, it is customary to dress in green or attach a shamrock to clothes. Until this year, the Irish wore St. Patrick's crosses on their chests. Until the 18th century, the custom of wearing a shamrock was considered vulgar, but over time the tradition took root.

In addition to the shamrock and green, symbolizing both life itself and the victory of spring over winter (associated with both Celtic mythology and Catholicism), leprechauns are also considered symbols of the day (fairy-tale creatures of small stature, sewing shoes for other fairy-tale creatures and being treasure keepers ), a harp (depicted on the coat of arms of Ireland) and a sheila (an oak or thorn staff with a curved end, used, in addition to its direct purpose, as a curling stick).

The motto of St. Patrick's Day was the word Craic, which means "fun and enjoyment." People are having fun, drinking beer, and dancing the group Irish dance "Caylee".

On St. Patrick's Day, special dishes are prepared. Even though March 17, as a rule, falls on Lent, meat is cooked on this day: there is a popular belief that St. Patrick turns meat into fish for the holiday. The traditional dish is cabbage with bacon or corned beef.

Say 'Cheers' to your friends and find your shamrock on the bottom of a beer glasses. 

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