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| St. Patrick's |
America and the Green Ribbon, St. Patrick's Day
Written by: Mrs. Margaret Ekladious
By March every year, nature begins to renew its cover and transform trees, flowers, and plants to a green cover, that nature wears and begins to lose its color on the hills, meadows, gardens, and even reaches and lengthens the houses.
And that month coincides with the preparations for the largest celebration in the world, which is witnessing its preparation and preparation, especially the United States of America, Ireland, and many foreign countries and capitals.
The day dedicated to Saint Patrick is celebrated on the seventeenth of March every year. Where it is believed that it is the day of the death of the great Saint Patrick of Ireland, and on this day, nature embraces the religious character to produce a celebration of a double, distinctive and unique character that dyes the country.
In addition to the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church reveres and honors Patrick, especially the English-speaking Orthodox, who is credited with spreading Christianity in pagan Ireland in the fifth century AD and the eighth century AD.
He was considered the patron saint and patron of Ireland, or as it is known as the "Emerald Island" for the beauty of its green countryside all year round.
Although Ireland is famous for its fog and rain throughout the year, which made the Emerald Island a source of inspiration for the national color of Ireland, and about his upbringing and birth as a British boy of Romanian origin, not of Irish heritage, and he belongs to a pious Christian family.
His father was a deacon, and his father was a priest.
Saint Patrick was born as 'Mayon Sokat' and changed his name to 'Patricius Opatrick,' which stems from the term Latin for "father figure" when he became a priest.
At about sixteen, he was kidnapped by some Irish pirates and brought to Ireland as a shepherd enslaved person. Sheep near the coast, which made it in an environment closer and more contemplative to God.
After six years of captivity, he managed to escape by sea and return to his homeland, where he joined a religious mission.
He managed to have his position as a clergyman, priest, and then bishop, which helped him return to pagan Ireland to preach.
Patrick became an apostle of guidance and righteousness there. He opened schools, built churches, established monasteries for men and women, appointed priests, nurtured strong spiritualists, and began teaching its people Christianity, and the Renaissance movement appeared clearly.
In it, he found an enlightened pagan king named Leger sitting on the throne, and Patrick could not convert this king to the Christian faith.
But he obtained a covenant from him that he would have absolute freedom to preach this religion.
Many of the pagan priests of the country resisted him. Unfortunately, they exposed the country to their magic. They blinded the minds of the Irish, and Patrick met their work by offering the people rituals and prayers that expelled evil spirits and black magic with the help of a group of young Christian priests who brought them with him to Ireland.
To use them to exorcise evil spirits.!!
Despite this, St. Patrick did not dedicate the whole of Ireland to the Christian faith, but there were isolated pockets of paganism, and there are still traces of the ancient pagan religion in it, and it has its rituals.
In his "confessions," which he wrote when he was old, Patrick tells us about the dangers he was exposed to in his work. He says:
His life was endangered twelve times, until one day, he and his companions were arrested and kept in captivity for two weeks and threatened to kill, but some of their friends succeeded in convincing the arrestees to release them.
The frequent narrations issued by some pious and righteous writers tell hundreds of unique stories about the morals and miracles of Patrick, and this is what Nennius said, thanks to his prayers.
And his tremendous faith in God "restored sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, purified the lepers, expelled demons, and brought back the captives.
He revived nine of the dead and wrote 365 books.
And one of the expected legends about Saint Patrick is that during the period of the Great Fast, he was attacked by very many snakes, even though there were no reptiles or snakes in Ireland, but he expelled all the snakes from it; and that was strange.!!
The story of this legend symbolizes his expulsion of paganism from Ireland and the beginning of the Christian religion there and the conversion to the existence of the one Creator.
Sunday, which appears in his famous image as he crushes snakes with his Celtic cross under his feet.
This cross is very distinctive in shape, and Saint Patrick took it as a symbol of Christianity in Ireland, taking the form of a circular sun disk.
Inside the cross is a symbol and simulation of the radiance of Christianity over them and the nature of Ireland.
Unfortunately, Saint Patrick's early life details have been lost, making it even more mysterious.
Saint Patrick's Day may be the most celebrated holiday globally, as huge celebrations are held in many countries other than Ireland, especially in countries with a large Irish population.
This geographical diversity in the regions that celebrate this day reflects the spread of the Irish in different parts of the world. Either voluntarily or out of necessity during the waves of immigration that Ireland witnessed since 6000 BC due to devastating wars, religious and political persecution, or the economic crises that it was exposed to.
One feels the Irish presence in the United States more than it does anywhere else in the world..!!
It has turned into a holiday celebrated by all Americans and religious denominations. It is not considered an official holiday in the United States, despite being an official holiday in the Republic of Ireland.
We find that many of the explicit rituals and manifestations are feasting and include the traditional Irish foods that many Irish enjoy at the level of the world's countries.
During which the ban imposed on eating meat was lifted due to the fasting of the Resurrection at that time. Green cabbage is the traditional meal, bacon and boiled pork, Irish brown bread and Irish stew, potato soup, sausage, mash, corned beef, stir, and pancake
Shepherd and baked potatoes.
Black and white sweets, fried eggs, fried tomatoes, cake, gateaux, cakes, and biscuits are made in the shape of a shamrock leaf, or clover and sprinkle green sugar or green cream on it.!!
While the bars serve large quantities of cider, liquor, and Irish beer (sometimes dyed green)!!
And since Saint Patrick's Day comes during Lent, drinking alcoholic beverages is not allowed.
And that there is a law that requires this, but this night was made an exception to celebrate the feast and allow drinks.
The celebration is no longer confined to most countries only, but we see that the astronauts celebrated it.
Onboard the International Space Station, pictures of Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield were published floating and singing with the station crew wearing only green for St. Patrick's Day.
Although many believe that the color that symbolizes Saint Patrick is green, historians say that the truth is that Saint Patrick has fallen into a light, calm, and bright blue color.
It is a color that is still seen in the old Irish flags and was used on the badges and banners of the Irish army, which was sometimes marked with the harp, which is considered a symbol of the Irish and was found in the councils of poets and sages, not only musicians. From the eighteenth century only..!!
Revelers wear green and orange wigs, as the famous Irish hair color
And as it is found in the color of the Irish flag and green hats, they go out in public marches, artistic performances, festivals, and concerts, and some of them carry veins of a shamrock or green shamrocks. They walk in huge crowds crowned with beautiful green colors, indicating the greenness of nature.
The shamrock, or three-leafed shamrock, is said to be a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolizes the rebirth of spring. Saint Patrick used it to illustrate the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which may have helped him in his preaching, which is still the national emblem of the Irish until now ..!!
The stores sell greeting cards and smooth stones extracted from nature, which symbolize the Blarney Castle stones. In Ireland, which is a symbol of ancient Irish mythology. Decorations and shiny coins are also spread and masks representing the genie (lobaircin), which was believed to be not associated with the holiday, but it is from Irish folklore.!!
These legends tell that lubricin is an original Irish name for a small-bodied genie that resembles an older man 2 feet tall and is a type of male jinn.
who inhabits the island of Ireland and wears a leather apron and a crooked hat on his head, and this category of elves exist
To protect the famous legendary treasure in Ireland, a pot-like bowl filled with gold coins, these elves can use their magical powers to serve good or evil.!!
In most of the novels and stories of the elves, they are described as strange, harmless fairy creatures.
And it is very eloquent to the point that it can make the conversation excellent and enjoyable among them as well as they enjoy.
He also mentioned that she is a very wealthy Jean and wants to hide gold in secret places that he can't see. If someone discovers its location, and if by chance one of these elves sees it, it becomes in a state of physical violence.
It also pulls and damages the sight from the eyes of the one who sees them or looks at them, and the elves know about their existence by making sounds like the sound of a shoemaker's hammer.
We return to the celebrations in St. Patrick, where the roads of the shows and squares are decorated and painted green, and sometimes rivers and fountains are dyed with temporary green dyes, and offices are decorated with some buildings.
The institutions and rooms in all public and private schools are painted green, indicating the greenness of nature.
The failure to wear green clothes and ornaments on the day of the feast may be punished for students, students, or people with a pinch as a way of joking and foreplay so that he remembers that ridiculous joke and not repeat that in the next year.
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