THE LUCK OF THE IRISH
Every people and every culture has their own traditions and their own holidays, but what happens to those traditions when a group of people emigrates from their country of origin and begins to move to other countries? Are these traditions lost? Do they disappear? In many cases, yes, but it does not necessarily have to be so.
In the case of the Irish, many of whom left Ireland in a wave of emigration in the 19th century, many Irish people went to live in the Unites States, inArgentina and also in other countries scattered throughout the world. They brought with them many of their traditions and many of these are still very much alive today in their new “adopted” country.
Today is March 17 2010 and it is St. Patrick’s Day. Throughout the world it is marked with celebrations, parades and parties.
It is a holiday that has been celebrated for over a thousand years and at its origins it was a holiday to celebrate St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland. As a religious holiday, traditionally people went to celebrate Mass and it was a holy day. It was also marked with great feasts and, since it comes in the middle of Lent, it was seen as an opportunity to take a break from fasting and have one full, good traditional meal.
In the United States, it is a holiday which is celebrated by both Irish Americans and those Americans without Irish blood. There are many myths and many strange practices that go along with this holiday. For example, you are supposed to wear the color green (perhaps because Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle) to show that you celebrate the day; if you don’t, people can pinch you (often strongly) to punish you for not joining into the festivities.
People gather to drink beer that has been dyed green and often artificial coloring is added to rivers to turn the water green. I think this is done in both New York City and perhaps Chicago, two cities with a very large Irish American population.
In any case, St. Paddy’s Day is just one of a number of celebrations that have been spread around the world due to the important forces of emigration and immigration.
At Lang-Ex, we often use holidays and cultural traditions as a starting point for discussion in our English language and Italian language courses in Milan. We find that people are always interested in learning about the history and traditions of other countries and often discussing those holidays is a way to create a sense of unity and community, especially among the members of our group language courses.
Every people and every culture has their own traditions and their own holidays, but what happens to those traditions when a group of people emigrates from their country of origin and begins to move to other countries? Are these traditions lost? Do they disappear? In many cases, yes, but it does not necessarily have to be so.
In the case of the Irish, many of whom left Ireland in a wave of emigration in the 19th century, many Irish people went to live in the Unites States, inArgentina and also in other countries scattered throughout the world. They brought with them many of their traditions and many of these are still very much alive today in their new “adopted” country.
Today is March 17 2010 and it is St. Patrick’s Day. Throughout the world it is marked with celebrations, parades and parties.
It is a holiday that has been celebrated for over a thousand years and at its origins it was a holiday to celebrate St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland. As a religious holiday, traditionally people went to celebrate Mass and it was a holy day. It was also marked with great feasts and, since it comes in the middle of Lent, it was seen as an opportunity to take a break from fasting and have one full, good traditional meal.
In the United States, it is a holiday which is celebrated by both Irish Americans and those Americans without Irish blood. There are many myths and many strange practices that go along with this holiday. For example, you are supposed to wear the color green (perhaps because Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle) to show that you celebrate the day; if you don’t, people can pinch you (often strongly) to punish you for not joining into the festivities.
People gather to drink beer that has been dyed green and often artificial coloring is added to rivers to turn the water green. I think this is done in both New York City and perhaps Chicago, two cities with a very large Irish American population.
In any case, St. Paddy’s Day is just one of a number of celebrations that have been spread around the world due to the important forces of emigration and immigration.
At Lang-Ex, we often use holidays and cultural traditions as a starting point for discussion in our English language and Italian language courses in Milan. We find that people are always interested in learning about the history and traditions of other countries and often discussing those holidays is a way to create a sense of unity and community, especially among the members of our group language courses.
