HOLIDAYS
St. Patrick's Day
Anastasia Gavrilenko
BSPU,
Blagoveshchensk (Russia)
One of the most popular holidays in the
UK is Saint Patrick's Day, which is widely
celebrated in the whole world every year on
March 17. Generally, many people heard about
this day, but they didn’t know who Patrick was.
Saint Patrick lived in the middle of the
5th century and at the age of 16 he got into
slavery in Ireland. There he had nothing but
accept Christianity and pray for his salvation
every day. Fortunately, the God heard his
prayers and suggested the way how to
escape. After many years he returned to
Ireland as a bishop and began to convert
people into religion. Also the legend says that
Saint Patrick expelled all snakes and it has
been proved by scientists that in the Irish land
there is really no snakes. March 17 is the day of
his death, which still is honoured by Catholics.
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SUNRISE
On this day people dress in green
eccentric outfits and pin symbol of the holiday
- clover trefoil, symbolizing the Holy Trinity and
luck. Another of holiday symbols - Leprechaun,
who, according to legends, can fulfill your
three wishes or tell you about his treasures, if
you manage to catch him. In honour of the
holiday in some cities, the rivers and fountains
are painted in green colour, and buildings
around the world are lit up with an emerald
glow. The main squares of the cities host
large-scale processions with cheerful music
of bagpipes and energetic dances called
“cayley”. Also on this day, it is customary to
drink beer, for example you even can try some
special green beer in many pubs, and eat a
traditional dish - cabbage with bacon. So, all
this day is filled with joy and happiness!
Here are some guidelines on how to
celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Irish style:
1. Go green. Unless you want to, you
don't have to wear a sweater with a giant
shamrock on it. (Though that would certainly
help you stand out.) The great thing about this
holiday is you are free to go as subtle or as wild
as you like. St. Patrick's Day t-shirts have been
a common article of clothing to wear proudly.
For those who are feeling particularly festive,
try buying or making a leprechaun costume,
replete with white stockings, green top hat
and fake (or real!) red beard.
2. Accessorize. Buttons, pins and
jewelry are all great ways to dress up an outfit.
On St. Patrick's Day, they become ways to
express the fun side of fashion. Nothing is too
gaudy or outlandish. Buttons with clever (or
not so clever) sayings are also encouraged.
Small shamrock pins are a great way to
express your support of the holiday. Cute ones
on the cheeks are a popular option, along with
full-faced Irish flags of green, white and
orange.
February 2019 №2