St. Patricks Day Celebrations, Customs & Toasts

The Blarney Stone (Irish: Cloch na Blarnan) is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney, about 8 kilometres (5 mi) from Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery). The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446. The castle is a popular tourist site in Ireland, attracting visitors from all over the world to kiss the stone and tour the castle and its gardens.

The word blarney has come to mean "clever, flattering, or coaxing talk".

~wikipedia
Photo credit: Brian Rosner

Mug of Green St Patrick's Day Beer by Leprechaun Hat~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the United States we think of the following Traditions on St. Patricks Day, which by the way is on March 17th, which is St. Patricks birthday.

Wearing green

You must of course wear the traditional green on St. Patricks day, or those mischievious people will think they can freely pinch you!

St. Patricks day Parades.

If your wondering if there is a parade near you, check out the following:
St. Patricks day parades in the US.

BDrinking Green Beer, talking with an Irish accent as you toast your friends, and eating corn beef and cabbage at your local Pub is one way many adults spend time celebrating St. Patricks day./p">

Wood Sorrel Shamrock

St. Patrick the patron Saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures.

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death. For centuries, the Irish have observed this day.

The Montreal St. Patrick's Parade has run consecutively since 1824 and has been organized by the United Irish Societies of Montreal since 1928.

Each year in March, the citizens of Montreal and visitors are invited to enjoy this celebration of St. Patrick, the Irish community and the welcoming of Spring. This giant replica of St. Patrick at the onset of the parade lets everyone know that the celebration has begun and the Grand Marshal who leads the three hour presentation of floats, bands, community and cultural groups follows him.

The Irish welcome you to join in this celebration.

Leprechaun Feeding Grasshopper

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In 1995, Ireland took back its holiday!

The Irish government, which officially established the festival in November of that year, had a major goal in mind: to make the festival rank among the best celebrations in the world. The event is also intended to generate creativity and excitement throughout Ireland and to project, internationally, an accurate image of Ireland as a "creative, professional and sophisticated country with wide appeal," according to the event's website. The now six-day festival takes 18 months of planning and a full staff to manage a calendar of activities.

~ ~According to Womans Day

This year Dublin City is going green for St. Patrick's Festival! To celebrate Ireland's national holiday, we have launched an initiative called 'Greening the City,' asking all businesses and venues to turn their lights green to create a city-wide illumination for the duration of the festival.

~Read more about the St. Patricks Festival.