Leprechauns, shamrocks and a pot o’gold, oh my! This holiday of green and good luck for Irishmen and the Irish-at-heart is a bit of a mystery to most of us. Who is St. Patrick and why do we celebrate his life? The historical information about St. Patrick is spotty at best but most accounts agree on several interesting points about his work in Ireland.
St. Patrick wasn’t Irish. What?! It’s true! He was born during the 5th century A.D. into a British noble family but at the age of sixteen he was kidnapped by a band of pirates who were raiding his family’s estate. They transported him to Ireland where he was sold as a slave. For six lonely years, he worked in the hills of Mayo County as a shepherd, turning to his religion for comfort. He spent his days praying to God and eventually, after he heard God tell him in a dream to escape, he walked over 200 miles to the Irish coast and found a ship sailing back to Britain.
After his return, Patrick had yet another dream. In this dream, the people of Ireland were calling to him, begging him to come back and teach them about God. Very few people in Ireland at the time believed in the Christian God; the primary religion was a nature-based paganism. In an effort to prepare himself for this mission, Patrick began religious study and after fifteen years he was ordained as a priest and commissioned to return to Ireland for missions work.
Many of the classically Irish symbols we see today are thought to be born from St. Patrick’s teachings. It is believed that he plucked a three-leafed shamrock from the ground to explain the Holy Trinity (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) to the Irish people. He also incorporated many pagan practices into his Christian symbolism. He used a bonfire to celebrate Easter as the pagans often used bonfires to celebrate the gods of spring. In addition, some historic accounts claim that, because the pagans worshipped the sun goddess, St. Patrick placed a symbol of the sun in the middle of the Christian cross to help the pagans converting to Christianity better accept the cross. This is believed to be the origin of the Celtic cross we know today.
What about the snakes? While the tale is certainly captivating, it’s a bit of an exaggeration. Ireland never had any snakes. This story is more metaphorical in nature and probably refers to St. Patrick’s mission to bring Christianity to Ireland and driving out the Druids, the ancient pagan priests. Although the stories of snake charming are not real, one of his biggest accomplishments in Ireland was very real and quite valuable. Because most of Ireland believed in oral tradition, they did not know how to read. St. Patrick felt that literacy, primarily for Bible study, was vital to the furthering of his mission and thus he began a campaign to teach the Irish how to read.
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th which is believed to be the day of his death around 460 A.D. The Irish have celebrated the Feast of St. Patrick for centuries with the holiday eventually making its way to the U.S. in the traditions of Irish immigrants. Even if you aren’t Irish, though, there is plenty of fun to be had on St. Patrick’s Day so don’t miss out! Try some of these ideas for crafts, games and recipes to get your little leprechauns spouting an Irish brogue and dancing a jig.
Games
Leprechaun Trail – cut out shamrocks from green construction paper. These will be “leprechaun footprints”. Place them in a winding trail on the floor leading to a hidden “pot o’gold” left behind by the little sprite. The treasure could be a treat such as gold-foil chocolate coins or a small gift of some kind like green socks, a leprechaun hat or a shamrock headband to wear at school. Target often has fun holiday trinkets in their $1 bins at the front of the store.
For more St. Patrick's Day game ideas visit Kaboose.
Crafts
For some great craft ideas with pictures, check out these sites:
· Kaboose
Recipes
Although it’s debatable whether corned beef and cabbage is traditional Irish fare, this twist on the classic boiled version will have your tastebuds singing a Celtic tune. Add some mashed potatoes and coleslaw and a few Irish Potato Candies for dessert and you have a new family feast favorite.
Whiskey-glazed Corned Beef (Cuisine at Home, April 2007)
Submerge in water; simmer:
4 pounds corned beef brisket
Whisk Together:
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup whiskey (such as Jack Daniels)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Submerge corned beef, fat side up, in water in a large pot. If it came with one, add the spice packet to the water. Cover and simmer over low heat until beef is tender when pierced with a fork, 3 to 3 1/2 hours. (If chilling overnight, keep the meat in the liquid. Bring it to a simmer the next day, then continue with the recipe.)
Preheat oven to 450°; line a baking sheet with foil, top with a rack, and coat with nonstick spray. Transfer the cooked beef to the prepared rack, fat side up. Use a knife to trim off the fat--it will be soft and easy to remove.
Whisk remaining ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Spoon glaze onto beef, then roast for 10 minutes, or until the glaze is dark and sticky. Remove from oven and let the meat rest for 15 minutes.
Transfer to a cutting board. Thinly slice against the grain.
Pot o’Gold Cupcakes (as seen in our March newsletter)
· Mix a batch of white cake mix. It can be out of a box or your own recipe. (For a delicious and flavorful cake, cut this recipe in half).
· Separate the batter into six bowls equally.
· Color each bowl with the color you want using food coloring or food paste. We used food coloring for this and followed the "recipes" on the back of the box for how many drops of each color to add to the batter to get the desired color.
· Place the cupcake papers in muffin tins and begin spooning the batter into the papers one color at a time.
· Spread all of the purple batter into each cup first, then all of the blue batter, etc. This way, if you run out of a color and need to scoop a little out of another cup you haven't spooned another color on top of it already.
· Continue distributing the batter until all of the colors have been used. While you are spooning the batter you can either spread each color out in the paper as you go or just leave each color in a dollop. DO NOT mix the batter when you are spooning it into the cups.
· Once all of the batter is in the cups bake them according to the cake recipe directions.
· When the cupcakes have cooled, ice them with your favorite frosting and place a gold-covered chocolate coin on top of each cupcake.
For more fun and delicious recipes, check out the ideas in Parents Magazine for St. Patrick’s Day.
