Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The St. Patrick's day in America
What do you think of when you think of St. Patrick's day? Green Beer? Shamrock sunglasses? Pub parties and parades? Actually this day is meant as a holly day to commemorate the Saint that brought Christianity to the country of Ireland. Do you know why the unofficial symbol of Ireland is a clover? Well, almost 1500 years ago, Saint Patrick introduced himself to the Irish Pagan king asking his permission to spread the faith of Christianity to the Emerald Isle. He used the three leaf clover to explain Catholisism to the King. The three leaves represented the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit and the stem was Christianity that bound it all. The actual symbol of Ireland is the Medieval harp which can be found on the national flag that was used until 1801. I will post soon to explain the national hero Michael Collins.
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The 3-leaf clover thing? very cool. Never would've pegged that as a religious thing. the Saint Patrick thing is really neat too-- but it makes me wonder how a celebration of Catholicism turned into "drink yourself silly" day...
ReplyDeleteIt was cool to see the construction of the Samuel Beckett Bridge while I was in Dublin. Its shape? A harp.
ReplyDeleteCheck it out below:
http://slowpainting.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/calatrava-meets-beckett/