The most important day in the Irish Calendar year is St. Patrick’s Day which is celebrated over a period of five
days to honor the saint which helped the spread of Christianity in Ireland. Nowadays St. Patrick’s Day is elebrated worldwide with
millions enjoying the huge parades and fanfare associated with it-the dancing, singing, people jiving around in fancy dresses, fairs etc. Along with the fun element, Irish also make a point to attend the church on this
day with their families and pin a green shamrock on their dresses. It is believed that Saint Patrick taught the ancient
pagans of this Emerald Isle about the holy Trinity using a shamrock. The Trinity is the Father, the Son and The
Holy Spirit which stems from the same Lord aptly symbolized by the shamrock. People celebrate this
ancient Irish tradition by drinking green ale and inviting the mythical leprechaun in the
hope that its luck rubs on to their life. It’s a day of fun and frolic with people enjoying their Irish culture to the hilt.
Irish people are very precise in following their traditions related to birth and death. Majority of the people are Christened as Roman Catholics within the first few weeks of their birth. When someone dies in Ireland, It is customary to have a ‘wake house’ for two days before the burial takes place, where someone reads aloud the prayers from the Bible to bring the departed soul to rest. Then the coffin is carried over to the graveyard, where it is buried amidst the throng of well wishers of the deceased.
Irish celebrate their wedding with a lot of gusto, with modern customs mixed with age-old traditions. Some of the
more traditional Irish weddings include the brides wearing a blue dress, carrying a magic hanky, a lucky horse
shoe, and bewaring of other portent and omens like not getting married on Saturdays or in the harvesting season.
Its considered lucky to see a cuckoo or three magpies on the wedding day and for the wedding party to take the longest route home from the church. There are many other lucky charms and omens that seek to bless (or curse) this
bond of togetherness.
Like most Christians, Irish celebrate Christmas by attending the mass in the church, decorating their homes with
Holy symbols, lights and Christmas trees. However they believe that the Christmas tree should be removed
From their homes before 7th January otherwise it tends to bring bad luck for the family. Irish place
A lighted candle on their window sills as a symbol of guidance to the Virgin Mary and Joseph as they seek a place
to give birth to Lord Jesus.
