St. Patrick's Day Traditions

St. Patrick’s Day Traditions

I’m sure this is going to come as no surprise but modern day St. Patrick’s Day traditions are vastly different from what they were when the holiday was created.

The first St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated in 1631 when the church established a feast honoring the late St. Patrick.

St. Patrick had been a Patron Saint of Ireland, there is not a lot of definitive history on him but a few things we do know is:

-          He was a roman citizen and was enslaved and taken to Ireland at approximately age 16;

-          He was either released or escaped from his imprisonment;

-          He then became a priest and returned to Ireland and had great luck in converting the Druid culture into Christians.

-          Legend has it he was born named Maewyn Succat and changed his name to Patricius (or as we know him- Patrick) which means “father figure” in Latin.

-          His supposed luck with converting people to Christianity is where the “luck” comes into play with modern St. Patrick’s Day traditions.

-          He used the three leafed shamrock ☘ to explain the holy trinity to the Irish Pagans.

-          He died on March 17th Year 432.

I decided to compile an assortment of traditions for this list as traditional and modern traditions vary quite drastically.

More Traditional:

-          Attend church in the morning; and

-          Celebrate in the afternoon! (Christian Lent rules were waived and people would eat and drink to their hearts content.);

-          Wear blue;

-          Enjoy some corned beef, cabbage and bacon; and

-          Wear a shamrock.

More Modern:

-          Attend a St. Patrick’s Day parade;

-          Enjoy a breakfast beer at your favorite Irish pub (Many pubs open at 7am on March 17th)

-          Wear green;

-          “Drown” a shamrock. (Pop a shamrock into your last drink of the night for good luck.. and hopes of an easy hangover in the morning);

-          Take in some Irish step dancing.

Info sourced from:

https://time.com/4261456/st-patrick-day-2016-history-real-saint/

https://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/history-of-st-patricks-day 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Saint-Patricks-Day

https://parade.com/1173388/jessicasager/st-patricks-day-traditions/

Valentine's Day History

I’m excited to announce that my work has started a newsletter! Instead of just sharing insurance information (boring) I’ll be using my past life as a pastry chef to share recipes and holiday traditions.

Everything I share with my coworkers in our monthly newsletter will also be shared to the blog going forward (because why not right?)

Starting off in mid January I decided to do a little research on Valentines day so below is a brief origin story on the holiday.

Valentines Day Traditions

Valentine’s Day around the world is celebrated in the name of Saint Valentine, but who is this mysterious saint? And why is this holiday celebrated with such gusto!?

Although the truth behind the holiday is murky at best, there are a couple of stories circulating worth sharing.

It’s said that St. Valentine was a priest who served during the 3rd century in Rome. When the emperor Claudius II announced that single men made better soldiers than those with families and wives, he outlawed marriage for young soldiers. Valentine went against this injustice and started performing secret marriages for young lovers. When the emperor found out about Valentine’s actions, he ordered that the saint be put to death.

The other story suggests that the saint may have been killed while helping the Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were tortured. Gradually, Saint Valentine has become so popular that couples all across the world started celebrating Valentine’s Day as the day of love.

It is believed that the first-ever Valentine’s Day card was originated in France, when Charles, the Duke of Orleans, sent love letters to his wife from the prison in 1415.

10 Low and Non-Material Valentine’s Day Traditions to try:

(Couples, family and single friendly.)

-      Exchange homemade and handwritten cards;

-      Compose a poem for your loved one(s);

-      Share a meal or a movie night together;

-      Attend a Valentine’s Day Dance in your area;

-      Exchange dried flowers;

-      Perform a random act of kindness;

-      Visit or acknowledge a departed loved one;

-      Have a Valentine’s Day photo shoot;

-      Have spa day (either at home or at a spa); or

-      Volunteer somewhere in need (like a shelter or soup kitchen).

Information gathered from:

https://traveltriangle.com/blog/valentines-day-traditions-around-the-world/

https://www.countryliving.com/life/g4075/old-valentines-day-traditions/

https://sugarspiceandglitter.com/10-family-traditions-valentines-day/

https://cafemom.com/parenting/217513-valentines-day-traditions-to-start-with-kids/278938-great_valentine_bakeoff

https://www.creatingwithnicole.com/blog/10-ways-to-celebrate-valentines-day-single

Saint Valentine Photo: https://www.history.com/news/6-surprising-facts-about-st-valentine