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St.
Patrick was born in Roman Britain. As a youth he was kidnapped by
Irish raiders and sold into slavery in Ireland. He escaped six years
later and fled to Gaul. After several years, he returned to Ireland
as a missionary to the people there. Legend has it that he drove all
of the snakes out of the country.
In
Ireland, St. Patrick's Day is more of a religious holiday. It was
first celebrated in Boston, USA in 1737 by Irish immigrants.
Today,
St. Patrick's Day in USA is celebrated with parades, green
food, green clothes and dances. (Green is associated with Saint
Patrick's Day because it is the color of spring, Ireland, and the
shamrock.) It's a day to celebrate being Irish and enjoying things
Irish!
Test
your knowledge of St. Patrick's Day by answering the following
questions.
1. What gift
do you get if you kiss the Blarney Stone?
2. What
date is St. Patrick's Day celebrated on?
3. What is
a Leprechaun?
4. What
does Erin Go Braugh mean?
5. What
'punishment' do school kids get from each other if they don't wear green
on St. Patrick's Day?
Answers
Irish
Toasts
May the
road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
May you
live as long as you want,
And never want as long as you live.
May the
roof above us never fall in.
And may the friends gathered below it never fall out.
May you
have warm words on a cold evening,
A full moon on a dark night,
And the road downhill all the way to your door.
May you
live to be a hundred years,
With one extra year to repent!
May the
Lord keep you in His hand
And never close His fist too tight.
May your
neighbors respect you,
Trouble neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And heaven accept you.
May your
pockets be heavy and your heart be light,
May good luck pursue you each morning and night.
Walls for
the wind,
And a roof for the rain,
And drinks beside the fire -
Laughter to cheer you
And those you love near you,
And all that your heart may desire!
This article may be
re-published on your website as long as the following by-line is
included.
Copyright 2002.
Maggie Halliday is the founder and owner of International Woman, the
magazine connecting women around the world. Visit her website at http://www.internationalwoman.net
to find recipes, weddings, articles and much more!
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