5 Fun Ideas For Saint Patrick's Day

Although Saint Patrick's Day is an Irish and religious holiday, it is celebrated by many regardless of their ethnic background or religious beliefs. It is a celebration of the life of Saint Patrick, one of the patron saints of Ireland, who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland and celebrated on March 17th of most years. Occasionally the date shifts to avoid conflict with holy week, but that will not happen again in our lifetime. One of the most notable things about this holiday is that it is extremely festive and everyone is invited to join in. Here are 5 fun things to do, many for people of any age, for Saint Patrick's Day.

1) Go to a Parade! This is a traditional parade day, and many cities worldwide have rather extensive parades complete with bagpipes, Leprechauns, and more. I've been to parades on 3 continents so far and they have them in an amazing array of places. They are generally extremely child friendly and great for the whole family.
2) Drink something Irish, whether it is green beer (or perhaps green lemonade for the children), one of my favorites, Guinness Stout, or Irish Whiskey such as Jamesons or Black Bush. Do not limit yourselves to alcoholic beverages as anything green and tasty will work! Or course drink in moderation as always.
3) Cook or buy a traditional Irish meal. Corned beef and cabbage is very common, as are various Irish Stews and many others. A quick look online or in an Irish cookbook will give you plenty of ideas, even for vegetarians! Or stop by an Irish pub which will be sure to have specials to celebrate with.
4) Learn about Irish history and legends. There are plenty of fascinating stories and legends, as well as actual historical facts, to learn about. And seriously, everyone is rather excited by Leprechauns and their pots of gold!
5) Dress up! Whether you just wear a lot of green, or perhaps a Leprechaun costume, this is as good a costume holiday as Halloween. Plus you can wear your costume to a parade or party! My favorite is a simple green Leprechaun hat or Bowler. They are comfortable, nearly as cool as a costume, and will last for decades if you buy a decent quality one! I couldn't find a great one locally, and the cheap plastic ones do not last, but eventually I found a great one online.

And for some more great ideas as well as hat and costume resources, please visit St Patricks Day Hat and St Patricks Day Gifts.

Leprechauns - Mythology of the Little People

Leprechauns are often stereotyped, misunderstood-especially in the United States-and even maligned, as in a series of 1990s horror films in which the leprechaun is a malevolent little beastie.

Leprechauns have been used to sell cereal (Lucky Charms) and as mascots for sports teams (the Boston Celtics). They have been portrayed as pyromaniacs (in an episode of The Simpsons), and their musical taste has been impugned-sentimental Irish music is called Leprechaun Music. And, of course, it is common knowledge that leprechauns have a pot of gold.

How does all of all of this "leprechaun lore" stack up to the leprechaun's real place in Irish mythology? As with most fantasy figures, leprechauns have evolved over the years, and the most romantic aspects of their legend has stuck.

A commonly accepted image of a leprechaun is of a small, old man with a red beard and wearing a top hat. He is often intoxicated, but never so drunk that he can't ply his trade as a shoemaker or a tinker. The first sign that a leprechaun is near usually is the tapping of his hammer.

It's unclear where the name "leprechaun" comes from. It may be from leath bhrogan, Irish for shoemaker, or it may derive from the Irish word luacharma'n for pygmy.

Leprechauns have not been around that long. They rarely are spoken of in folk tales, those stories that usually concern a human hero and are given a more formal telling. Leprechaun tales usually are told casually by locals and contain local names and scenery.

Only since the early 20th Century have leprechauns been depicted as wearing emerald green; the first leprechauns wore red, and their physical appearance varied depending on where in Ireland they lived.

Unlike the malicious creature in the Leprechaun films, leprechauns like solitude and usually avoid human habitations, although some have adopted human families and have even followed them abroad.

In general, though, leprechauns don't have much use for humans, whom they consider foolish and greedy.

Leprechauns are cunning, mischievous and sometimes cranky, but they generally don't harm people. They have a "gift for gab" and could be the life of the party, if you could get them to attend human parties.

Leprechauns do have a treasure, left by the Vikings when they plundered Ireland in the eighth and ninth Centuries A.D. , which they bury in crocks of gold.

Because leprechauns are honest, if you capture one, he must tell you where he's hidden his gold, but beware of his tricks. You can hold a leprechaun in place with your eyes, but if you glance away, he will vanish.

Each leprechaun carries two leather pouches, one containing a silver coin and the other a gold coin, to bribe captors to set him free. But both coins are bewitched; once the leprechaun has paid his ransom and gained his freedom, the silver returns to his purse, and the gold turns to leaves or ashes.

David Kubicek received a B.A. with Distinction in English from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. As a writer of both fiction and non-fiction, his work has been published in many periodicals, including Space and Time, National Lampoon, and The Writer's Journal, and he was a writer for the Midlands Business Journal for nine years. His books include The Pelican in the Desert and Other Stories of the Family Farm, October Dreams: A Harvest of Horror, and the Cliffs Notes for Willa Cather's My Antonia. David lives with his wife Cheryl, son Sean, two dogs and a cat in Lincoln, Nebraska. Visit his Website at http://www.davidkubicek.com.

Funny Irish Poems Celebrate St Patrick's Day

Whether you're Irish or not, chances are you've celebrated St. Patrick's Day one way or another. And why not? St. Patrick's Day is pure fun. Green clothes. Green food. Green beer. (Green under the gills.) And what better way to enhance this celebration than with funny Irish poems?

Somehow, there are more symbols of Ireland than there are of other European countries, and these symbols make for great funny Irish poems. France has the Eiffel Tower, and maybe a beret; Germany has the pointy WWI helmet; and England has those bushy beefeater hats and Big Ben. But Ireland, Ireland has a treasure trove of symbols, all perfect for funny Irish poems.

Leprechauns. Consider the legendary leprechaun. Think "Lucky Charms" to get the right image. Leprechauns are not so much about luck as about the fantasy of instant wealth. Leprechauns, two-foot-high cobblers (shoemakers), are cranky old fairy-men rumored to each own a "pot of gold." These tricky little guys have to give up their gold so long as you can keep them in your sights. But if you are tricked into looking away, the leprechaun vanishes.

Blarney. And talk about Blarney! Blarney is the Irish gift of persuasive gab. The best way to get it, according to legend and lore, is with a kiss of the Blarney Stone. The Blarney stone is set in the base of the Blarney Castle, in Blarney, Ireland. Many of us don't travel so far for this gift of gab and instead buy a bottle of it at the corner market.

Shamrocks. What would St. Patrick's Day be without a shamrock? You might think that a shamrock must have four leaves, but you'd be mistaken. While many people do believe that a four-leaf clover is particularly lucky, the official shamrock is the classic three-leaf variety. St. Patrick himself used the three-leaf shamrock to explain the trinity, somewhere during the 400s AD, while a missionary in what is now Northern Ireland. You have to wonder if he did his explaining at the pub, or if he had any inkling of the holiday that would evolve in his name.

Limericks. If you're thinking funny Irish poems, you're probably thinking limericks. But the truth is that the limerick form was first made popular in England because of the famous nonsense-writer, Edward Lear. However, a good funny Irish poem can always be written as a limerick or in any poetic form.

Fun. The most important element of a secular celebration of St. Patrick's Day is fun! (Yes, many Irish do attend church for this holiday. Really.) in addition to the parties, the food, the friends and the green beer, it's good to also include the pure free fun of funny Irish poems.

Happy St. Paddy's Day to you!

Denise Ann Rodgers is a poet and author of two books, "A Little Bit of Nonsense," and "Great Lakes Rhythm & Rhyme," a book of poetry about Michigan and the Great Lakes. She has two web sites. One, http://www.ThePoetryLady.com, promotes her two books and school visits, and her new site that shares her amazing selection of funny poems on all subjects.

For a free selection of funny Irish poems, go to http://www.Funny-Poems-for-Free.com