|
St.
Patrick's
Day
Traditions
and
Customs
-
Some
'tongue
in
cheek'
fun
reading
about
the
legends
behind
St.
Patrick's
Day
Legend
has
it
that
Saint
Patrick
drove
all
the
snakes
out
of
Ireland
and
they
all
went
into
the
sea
and
drowned.
The
snake
was
a
revered
pagan
symbol,
and
perhaps
this
is
a
metaphor
for
the
fact
that
he
drove
paganism
out
of
Ireland.
Whatever
the
truth
of
the
matter,
there
are
to
this
day
no
venomous
snakes
in
Ireland.
~
The
wearing
of
the
Green
~
Green
is
the
colour
associated
with
St.
Patrick.
Leprechauns
wear
green
Shamrocks
are
green
IRELAND
is
green
...
(on
account
of
all
that
rain)
~
Leprechauns
...
are
Irish
fairies
~
They
look
like
small,
old
men
(about
2
feet
tall),
often
dressed
like
a
shoemaker,with
a
cocked
hat
and
a
leather
apron.
According
to
legend,
leprechauns
are
unpleasant
little
characters,
aloof
and
unfriendly,
who
live
alone
and
pass
the
time
making
shoes.
They
also
possess
a
hidden
pot
of
gold,
and
treasure
hunters
can
often
track
down
a
leprechaun
by
the
sound
of
his
shoemaker's
hammer.
If
caught,
he
can
be
forced
(with
the
threat
of
bodily
violence)
to
reveal
the
whereabouts
of
his
treasure,
but
the
captor
must
keep
their
eyes
on
him
every
second.
If
the
captor's
eyes
leave
the
leprechaun
(and
he
often
tricks
them
into
looking
away),
he
vanishes
and
all
hopes
of
finding
the
treasure
are
lost
forever.
~
Banshees
~
are
female
spirits
who
prophesy
a
death
-
if
you
hear
the
wailing
of
the
Banshee
(they
are
never
seen)
beware
-
they
could
well
be
looking
for
YOU!
But
of
course
we
would
then
have
an
excuse
for
a
good
old,
Irish-style
wake
-
a
wonderful
send
off
and
celebration
of
the
life
of
the
dear
departed!
~
The
Blarney
Stone
~
is
a
stone
set
in
the
wall
of
the
Blarney
Castle
tower
in
the
Irish
village
of
Blarney.
Kissing
the
stone
is
supposed
to
bring
the
kisser
the
gift
of
"the
Blarney"
-
the
ability
to
talk
persuasively
and
eloquently.
Blarney
castle
was
built
in
1446
by
Cormac
Laidhiv
McCarthy
(Lord
of
Muskerry)
and
its
walls
are
18
feet
thick
(necessary
to
thwart
attacks
by
Cromwellians
and
William
III's
troops)
Thousands
of
tourists
a
year
still
visit
the
castle.
The
origins
of
the
Blarney
Stone's
magical
properties
aren't
clear,
but
one
legend
says
that
an
old
woman
cast
a
spell
on
the
stone
to
reward
a
king
who
had
saved
her
from
drowning.
Kissing
the
stone
while
under
the
spell
gave
the
king
the
ability
to
speak
sweetly
and
convincingly.
The
Blarney
Stone
is
very
difficult
to
reach
-
it
lies
between
the
main
castle
wall
and
the
parapet.
If
you
want
to
kiss
the
Blarney
Stone
-
and
thousands
of
tourists
do
-
you
have
to
lie
on
your
back
and
bend
backwards
(and
downwards),
holding
onto
iron
bars
for
support.
Whether
all
the
germs
have
anything
to
do
with
it
is
not
known,
but
it's
said
of
anyone
who
can
"talk
the
hind
leg
off
a
donkey"
that
they
must
have
kissed
the
Blarney
Stone!
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