Writer's Block: A Little Green

[fajrdrako]

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No. Most people I know think the day is a bit of a joke, or they just don't think about it. It's a holiday that seems to be associated with alcohol, and most of my friends aren't really drinkers.

Mind you, I'm celebrating with a party - why not? A Sarah Jane Adventures video-party. I'm sure I can think of some way to associate Sarah Jane with Ireland. And I'm giving my friends gifts. Is there any kind of gift-giving tradition associated with the day?

I like the idea of celebrating saints' days, and keeping medieval traditions alive, but all my Irish ancestors were Orangemen from County Down - makes me feel a bit of a fraud, waving around a shamrock.

Comments

[sollersuk.livejournal.com]

Also no. There's a big enough Irish population in and around Manchester that a lot of people do celebrate it (including, confusingly, my Northern Irish Jewish ex-boss) but nobody else bothers.

I do St David's Day, with daffodils and leeks.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I do St David's Day, with daffodils and leeks.

Yes! I think I'll do that this year, in honour of Torchwood.

[cionaudha.livejournal.com]

You're too late! St. David's Day was on March 1!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Well, next year, then. This coming year.

[cionaudha.livejournal.com]

Oh Lord, my solemn cat-eyed boy. That icon is going to be the death of me.

[sollersuk.livejournal.com]

You'll have to remember it for next year!

Being a good little Morris dancer (North West Clog) - and living in England -I shall be dancing out on April 23, which should be good fun with lots of singing and music in the pub afterwards.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

That sounds wonderful. I like to celebrate Shakespeare's birthday then.

[sollersuk.livejournal.com]

Shakespeare's birthday be damned. It's St George's Day.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Two for the price of one? Sharing?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I wonder if there is Morris dancing in Ottawa. I've never heard of such a thing, but I'd be surprised if it didn't exist.

[kk1raven.livejournal.com]

I imagine there is some. I used to know some Morris dancers in the Toronto area.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Morris dancers

Haven't found them her eyet. But I live in hope. I think they must exist.

Latest Graphic Novel

[raissad.livejournal.com]

Here you go:
http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/novels/novels_display.shtml?novel=129

Re: Latest Graphic Novel

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[cionaudha.livejournal.com]

When I was a little kid in elementary school the pinching was a big deal!

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

It must be an American and Canadian thing. Have never heard of it.

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

This morning my husband pinched our cat, and I pinched him.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Because of St. Patrick's Day? I don't even understand what that means!

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

If someone is not wearing green on St Patrick's Day, you're supposed to pinch them.

It's an American thing, although apparently lots of Americans have never heard of it either.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

So is it a Boston thing?

Seems to me a person who followed that rule would be pinching everyone in sight, just about!

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

I don't know, I haven't been in Boston on St Patrick's Day. I can say with authority that it's done in parts of Florida.

The thing is, there aren't that many people to pinch, because the pinching motivates people to wear green.

I should mention that this is mostly popular with grade school kids, you don't usually see people in offices pinching each other.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

you don't usually see people in offices pinching each other.

I am relieved to hear it.

It does sound like grade school behaviour.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'd never heard of it either. Maybe it's American...?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'd never heard of it before today.

[xinef.livejournal.com]

See my comments on this one. I usually ignore it. Is interesting being in Boston today! Mind you, I only realized about the date when I was done packing for my son. Had to remind him NOT to wear his orange tshirt today! It is a great tshirt - World Vision and Stephen Lewis, but still orange is not a good idea today, in Boston.

My ancestors were Hugenot, so would roll over in their graves and come to haunt me if they knew I was celebrating a Catholic saint! :)

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Um, St Patrick is pre-Reformation so is not exclusive Catholic property! He's even pre-East-West schism!

[xinef.livejournal.com]

Well, yes, but St. Patrick's Day seems to be dominantly Catholic in a whole bunch of ways, and green is the Catholic colour with orange the Protestant colour.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I wore green today, just because I was partying. But it's not a badge of loyalty to one side or the other, just an Irish reference.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Nice to see a man who predates the schisms, if not the wars. (By which I mean there are always wars.) I've always had a faint grudge against the man for his cruelty to snakes, but then, if I tried to be really consistent, I'd have to be mad at St. George about the dragon. So that's okay, I just enjoy their medieval flavour.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

My ancestors were Hugenot, so would roll over in their graves and come to haunt me if they knew I was celebrating a Catholic saint! :)

I'm sure my ancestors would be upset about all sorts of things I do. I suspect my Grant ancestors would be more upset that I consort with Campbells and Camerons, regardless of religion.

There is a general sense around here that Orange=Bad and Green=Good, and I don't know if that's because of who settled in the Ottawa Valley, or because of the prevalence of US culture.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

St Patrick belongs pretty much to everyone Irish: pre-Reformation, and pre-East/West schism (the Orthodox Church in the UK is strong on Celtic saints in icons).
My paternal grandmother's mother's father was of Orange parentage from the Ballymena and Randalstown area; my maternal grandmother's paternal grandmother was Catholic Irish from Mayo.

It's not a big deal for most people here, outside some of the areas of Glasgow and Central/West Scotland where heavy immigration turned tem into Irish enclaves of one sort or another. Otherwise… It seems odd to that one would define oneself by a place a small proportion of one's ancestors came from over 130 years ago.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

People define themselves by all sorts of things - quite amazing things, sometimes. And religions seem to have a stronger hold than other things. Being Irish-Catholic is a double-whammy, being both a religion and a nationality. And it's seen as an enthnicity too.

Seems to me that Irish Catholics in North America are more conscious of their history and culture than the Irish Protestants. Perhaps because they felt more foreign?

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Seems to me that Irish Catholics in North America are more conscious of their history and culture than the Irish Protestants. Perhaps because they felt more foreign?

It's more that they took to calling themselves "Scots-Irish" to avoid being associated with the Catholic Irish. Quite ludicrously, given their ancestors left Lowland Scotland (and England and Wales) in early 17C, some of them take to wearing kilts and 'Highland Games'. Some still have a 17C Calvinist mind-set, too, having missed the Scottish Enlightenment (as in regarding Pattie's death as some sort of jihad).

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Probably just as well that they don't make a thing of it; some traditions are best left behind.

[topgeargirl2.livejournal.com]

St Patrick was a real person and there is some story about him getting rid of Ireland of Snakes or something.

It big around here in Adelaide because there is a big Irish population.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Well, there's a huge Irish-descended population here, so I suspect the day is pretty big with them. I'm Irish-descended myself, but Irish culture has barely touched me: my mother's family was way more into their Scottish roots.

The legend is that St. Patrick expelled the snakes from Ireland, snakes being a symbol of the devil. Since I love snakes, I've always been a little indignant about that.

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

I've always been skeptical that there were any snakes there to start with. If he'd expelled the snakes from Florida I'd've been more impressed.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'd like the notion that he led them away on foot, with a flute, like the Pied Piper.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

There weren't, or not many. It's one of those silly stories invented to explain a quirk of wildlife.

[filkferengi]

You could always watch several videos of "Star Of The County Down" [http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=star+county+down&aq=f ]; it's a lively, fun favorite.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

That is fun! Belgrade? I had no idea...

[filkferengi]

Apparently Celtic music is quite popular in some very unexpected parts of the globe. I hope you're enjoying the discovery.

[kk1raven.livejournal.com]

When I was growing up, my father sometimes suggested that we should where orange for St Patrick's Day. I'm not really sure why. His grandparents were English and Welsh as far as I know, not Irish. I think it probably originated with my grandfather's prejudice against Catholics of all backgrounds.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It was probably a sort of solidarity thing - English protestants identifying with Irish protestants. Which I can approve - my ancestors were English protestants and Irish protestants and Scottish protestants alike. It just makes me wish people would stop fighting over religion, not just in Northern Ireland but anywhere they might be doing it. Instead of wearing green everyone should wear green-orange braids or something.