Happy Saint Patrick's Day, March 17

Eeeky! You might say about the water in the picture. This is Chicago's way of celebrating St. Patrick's Day actually. The Chicago River is dyed green each year for the St. Patrick's Day celebration, shown here in 2005.

St. Patrick's Day is not widely known here so my thirst for knowledge brought me to good ole Wikipedia.

Saint Patrick's Day colloquially St. Paddy's Day or Paddy's Day, is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick (circa 385–461 AD), one of the patron saints of Ireland. It is celebrated worldwide generally on March 17. by Irish people and increasingly by non-Irish people (usually in Australia, North America, and Ireland) as well. Celebrations are generally themed around all things Irish and, by association, the colour green. Although Saint Patrick's Day has the colour green as its theme, one little known fact is that blue was once the colour associated with this day.

Both Christians and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of the holiday by wearing green or orange, eating Irish food and/or green foods, imbibing Irish drink (such as Guinness) and attending parades.


Picture of St. Patrick's Day 2004 in Cork, Ireland.

The St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin, Ireland is part of a five-day festival; over 500,000 people attended the 2006 parade. The largest St. Patrick's Day parade is held in New York City and it is watched by over 2 million spectators. The St. Patrick's Day parade was first held in Boston in 1737, organized by the Charitable Irish Society. New York's celebration began on 18 March 1762 when Irish soldiers in the British army marched through the city.

In many parts of North America, Britain, and Australia expatriate Irish and ever-growing crowds of people with no Irish connections but who may proclaim themselves "Irish for a day" also celebrate St. Patrick's Day, usually with the consumption of traditionally Irish alcoholic beverages (beer and stout, such as Murphys, Beamish, Smithwicks, Harp, or Guinness; Irish whiskey; Irish coffee; or Baileys Irish Cream) and by wearing green-coloured clothing.


Sign on a beam in the Guinness Storehouse.







Many Irish people still wear a bunch of shamrocks (three-leaved clover) on their lapels or caps on this day or green, white, and orange badges (after the colours of the Irish flag). Girls and boys wear green in their hair. Artists draw shamrock designs on people's cheeks as a cultural sign, including American tourists. Shamrocks are said to bring good luck.

To know more about Saint Patrick's Day, visit Wikipedia

Over here in Malaysia, the places who celebrate St. Patrick's Day or at least have some indication of its existence are the pubs in the bigger hotels. Where else?!

Nuffnangers who are attending Nuffnang Birthday Bash (themed Pajamas) this weekend will get to continue their merry-making at Plaza Mont Kiara for the Guinness St Patrick’s Day celebration. So, will I see you there?