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Symbols of Saint Patrick’s Day and Ireland, Part 2   by Terry Kaufman

Ireland has had a multitude of national symbols throughout the centuries, as discussed in Part 1 of Symbols of Saint Patrick’s Day and Ireland. We have had the opportunity to look at the shamrock and the power of 3, the Irish harp, and the shillelagh. In Part 2 we shall examine the Leprechaun and his pot of gold, food and drink, snakes, and other familiar symbols.

The Irish have believed in fairies throughout the ages but the most familiar ones are the Leprechauns, who belong to the fairy group known as the “luchorpans” or the “wee ones.” Some people believe that some Irish fairies are, for the most part, taller and friendlier than the Leprechauns.

Leprechauns are not known for their friendliness; in fact, they seem to be lacking in all facets of social efficacy. They are generally pictured as little old men wearing all green, the better with which to remain camouflaged. A Leprechaun is about two feet tall and is often attired like a shoemaker with a tilted cap and a cobbler’s apron. A Leprechaun will never be voted Mr. Congeniality; he is distant and cantankerous, more often than not; he is a loner, living in solitude; and spends his time making shoes. (If he is so unfriendly and keeps himself in isolation, to whom does he sell his shoes?!)

The Leprechaun’s greatest possession is the pot of gold hidden at the end of a rainbow. If the Leprechaun is captured, he must (with the promise of great bodily harm) reveal the location of the gold. However, the captor must keep watch on his prisoner at all times; if the Leprechaun tricks his captor into looking away for even a split second, the little beastie will disappear into thin air and any hopes of discovering the treasure trove will come to naught.

Next comes the issue of snakes and their presumed disappearance from Ireland. As the legend goes, Saint Patrick, beating a drum, drove all the snakes in Ireland out to sea to drown. Snakes were venerated by the pagan Druids and so, it has been implied this was a figurative legend referring to the fact that Saint Patrick was responsible for driving paganism off the island. Saint Patrick was also responsible for causing the soil to be deadly to all snakes who came in contact with it. There is an amusing anecdote about the exodus of the snakes. There was a snake who refused to kowtow to Saint Patrick. The holy man got so frustrated arguing with the snake, he constructed a box with which to trap the reptile. Of course, the snake stood his ground (so to speak) and refused to listen to Saint Patrick’s blandishments over entering the box. The snake continued to refuse, declaring the box was way too small to hold him comfortably. Not giving up, Saint Patrick countered with the box was indeed just right and would the snake please be so kind as to try it on for size. The gullible serpent agreed to this proposition, just to lull Saint Patrick into a false state of tranquillity. However, as soon as the reptile entered the box, Saint Patrick slammed the lid closed and with a display of great agility and strength, flung the box, and its suspicious contents, into the sea. Effective, but not very nice.

The banishment of the snakes has been a bone of contention for many years. Those believing in the snake legend felt snakes were a symbol of wickedness; when Saint Patrick drove the snakes to sea he helped to eradicate evil from Ireland. He caused the land to be covered with lush fields of shamrocks, so that the snakes would never return. On the other hand, there are many scholars who feel that there never were any snakes in Ireland, much less in fields of shamrocks.

One part of the celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day that is eagerly awaited, with fork and knife in hand, is the traditional food and drink of the holiday. One such dish is corned beef and cabbage. Only the cabbage has been around for ages; traditionally, Irish bacon was used, rather than corned beef. When Irish immigrants came to America, around the turn of the 20th century, they found Irish bacon too dear for most of their pockets. They learned about the cheaper meat, corned beef, by interacting with their eastern European immigrant neighbors.

Popular Irish foods eaten in the United States include Irish stew and Irish soda bread. In Ireland, the food most enjoyed for Saint Patrick’s Day is colcannon; this unusually-named dish is composed from mashed potatoes with melted butter, shredded kale, and minced onions.

One of the popular Saint Patrick’s Day traditions is to drink Irish beer which has green coloring added to it. It is consumed by the mug and probably by the gallon. On Saint Patrick’s Day one will probably see revelers going from pub to pub, “pub crawling,” to enjoy their favorite green beer.

Historic Blarney Castle, near the City of Cork, Ireland, is known for its magical stone. The Blarney Stone is part of the castle’s lintels, just underneath the battlements. The legend suggests various events to explain the origins of the stone. One version says that Robert the Bruce gave it to Cormac MacDermot McCarthy, in 1314; supposedly it was a portion of the Stone of Scones. Another version states the Stone was struck by Moses, with his staff, as he and the Israelites were searching for water. Yet another version, probably the most popular and believed in, tells how the Blarney Stone got its wondrous powers; an old hag of a woman, possibly a witch, was saved from drowning by a king of Munster. The old witch was so grateful to be saved from a watery grave, she conferred a blessing upon the king. If he chose to kiss the Stone set in the castle’s uppermost lintel, he would be the recipient of the gift of gab and become endeared to all he met.

The Blarney Stone has become a crowd-pleasing attraction. Multitudes of visitors attempt to kiss the Stone; however, the tourist must lie on his back and hang upside down so that he might be able to kiss the Blarney Stone and be the bearer of a silky tongue and the gift of gab. It helps to have several hardy friends to hold one’s body and, especially, legs so one does not meet with a grievous end.

DID YOU KNOW?

Bitten by a snake? Use shamrocks as an antidote for snake venom.

Schoolchildren will pinch one another on Saint Patrick’s Day if their “victims” are not wearing green.

Every year since 1962, the Chicago River (in the United States) is dyed green for Saint Patrick’s Day. Originally, pollution-control workers put green dye into the river to trace illegal sewage discharge. They dumped 100 pounds of green vegetable dye into the water; this was enough dye to keep the river green for a full week. Nowadays, in an effort to minimize environmental damage, only 40 pounds of dye are used.

Thousands of Irish immigrants came to the United States as a result of the potato famine of 1845 – 1849.

About the Author

See more on holidays at Niftykitchen.com Food and Cooking Tips. Terry Kaufman also writes for Niftyhomebar.com and Niftygarden.com.

©2008 Terry Kaufman
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