Thursday, March 18
Green is in the air...
...and spring’s not in just yet!
Today is not just any day, especially if you’re in New York, or Chicago, and of course, Ireland. It’s the reviving of an ancient culture. The mention of St Patrick’s Day makes one conjure up images of a bunch of Irish revelers painting the town red with their procession. But there’s much, much more than just that. Legend has it that St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, became a celebrated missionary of the Christian faith in Ireland at a very young age, in attempting to turn around the people of Ireland from paganism practiced before 6th Century A.D. In the 1760s, Irishmen serving the English paraded through the streets of New York, proclaiming the beginning of the celebrations in honor of the Saint, during the month of Lent. And there has been no looking back since; New York draws more than one million spectators each year. And Chicago is not too far behind. The parade goes on here too, in all its grandeur, and then the Chicago River has attracted more and more people for the past 43 years, by indefatigably turning a resplendent green just for the St. Patrick's Day celebrations. The hype is more apposite than it seems, as they say the green hue of the river is strikingly similar to the greens of Ireland; and the dye they use is actually orange! Well, if you think this is a real avant-garde marvel, who is to explain the perfectly coordinated tap dancing?
Today is not just any day, especially if you’re in New York, or Chicago, and of course, Ireland. It’s the reviving of an ancient culture. The mention of St Patrick’s Day makes one conjure up images of a bunch of Irish revelers painting the town red with their procession. But there’s much, much more than just that. Legend has it that St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, became a celebrated missionary of the Christian faith in Ireland at a very young age, in attempting to turn around the people of Ireland from paganism practiced before 6th Century A.D. In the 1760s, Irishmen serving the English paraded through the streets of New York, proclaiming the beginning of the celebrations in honor of the Saint, during the month of Lent. And there has been no looking back since; New York draws more than one million spectators each year. And Chicago is not too far behind. The parade goes on here too, in all its grandeur, and then the Chicago River has attracted more and more people for the past 43 years, by indefatigably turning a resplendent green just for the St. Patrick's Day celebrations. The hype is more apposite than it seems, as they say the green hue of the river is strikingly similar to the greens of Ireland; and the dye they use is actually orange! Well, if you think this is a real avant-garde marvel, who is to explain the perfectly coordinated tap dancing?
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