St. Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day parade on lower Magazine Street, New Orleans.

Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig (The Festival of Patrick); Ulster-Scots: Saunt Petherick's Day) is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick (c. AD 387–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official feast day in the early seventeenth century, and has gradually become a secular celebration of Irish culture in general.

The day is generally characterised by the attendance of church services, wearing of green attire[6] and the lifting of Lenten restrictions on eating, and drinking alcohol, which is often proscribed during the rest of the season.

Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador and in Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora, especially in places such as Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand, among others. Today, St. Patrick's Day is probably the most widely celebrated saint's day in the world.

Originally, the color associated with Saint Patrick was blue. Over the years the color green and its association with Saint Patrick's day grew. Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century. Saint Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the day. In the 1798 rebellion, to make a political statement, Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on 17 March in hopes of catching public attention. The phrase "the wearing of the green", meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing, derives from a song of the same name.

St. Patrick's Day, although not a legal holiday anywhere in the United States, is nonetheless widely recognized and celebrated throughout the country. It is primarily celebrated as a celebration of Irish and Irish American culture; celebrations include prominent displays of the color green, feasting, copious consumption of alcohol, religious observances, and numerous parades. The holiday has been celebrated on the North American continent since the late eighteenth century, prior to the American Revolution.

Bangers and Mash

With St. Patrick's Day coming up I thought I would pass along a little info and one of many recipe's  for a St. Patrick's Day favorite, Bangers and Mash.

Bangers and mash, also known as sausages and mash, is a traditional English dish made of mashed potatoes and sausages, the latter of which may be one of a variety of flavored sausage made of pork or beef or a Cumberland sausage.

The dish is sometimes served with a rich onion gravy. It can also often be found served with fried onions.

This dish may, even when cooked at home, be thought of as an example of pub grub — relatively quick and easy to make in large quantities as well as being tasty and satisfying. More up-market varieties, with exotic sausages and mashes, are sold in gastropubs, as well as less exotic alternatives being available in regular public houses.

Along with jellied eels and pie and mash, the dish has particular iconic significance as traditional British working-class dishes. Similarly, in the north, black pudding and leeks have a similar reputation.


Bangers and Mash

Ingredients

    2 1/4 pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered
    2 chicken bouillon cubes
    1 cup warm milk
    1/4 cup melted butter
    1 tablespoon cooking oil
    8 links pork sausage
    1 large onion, sliced and separated into rings
    2 (10.25 ounce) cans homestyle beef gravy
    2 teaspoons crumbled dried oregano

Directions

   1) Place the potatoes in a pan, and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, leaving the potatoes in the pan.
   2) Meanwhile, stir the bouillon cubes into the warm milk until dissolved. Stir the milk mixture and butter into the potatoes. Mash the potatoes until smooth and creamy.
    3)Heat the cooking oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Prick the sausages in a few places with a fork, and place them into the skillet. Cook, turning often, until golden brown and juices run clear, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. Remove from the skillet and drain on paper towels.
   4) Using the same skillet, add the onion rings. Cook and stir over medium heat until the onions are golden, but still crisp, about 5 minutes.
    5)Heat the gravy in a pan over medium heat.
    6)To serve, scoop the potatoes onto a large serving plate. Arrange the sausages over the potatoes, top with the onions, drizzle with gravy, and sprinkle with oregano.

Saint Patrick's Day

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig is the Gaelic way of expressing a wish that you have all the blessings of St Patrick's Day and the "luck of the Irish" to go with it. There are many humorous explanations for this expression. One comes from the legend of the 'Little People' of the land, know as leprechauns. Finding or catching a leprechaun (who would then give you gold) was a lucky event that could only take place in Ireland ! The Irish are descendants of great Celtic and Viking fighters and invaders. Their natural fighting skills often ensured survival & hence they became known as the 'lucky' people .a classic case of making your own luck ! But then "The Luck of the Irish" may all be legend.

Saint Patricks Day Parades Worldwide, Irish Pubs all around the globe, Fun Runs, Irish Associations, Irish Music Festivals, Irish Names, Irish Dancing Schools,Irish Music Irish Roots, Irish Festivals,Scottish Highland Games USA & Canada, as well as, Scottish Pipes & Drum Bands.

St Patricks Day is for thinking about our Saint as well as a time to think of loved ones across the water.

So, why is it celebrated on March 17th? One theory is that that is the day that St. Patrick died. Since the holiday began in Ireland, it is believed that as the Irish spread out around the world, they took with them their history and celebrations. The biggest observance of all is, of course, in Ireland. With the exception of restaurants and pubs, almost all businesses close on March 17th. Being a religious holiday as well, many Irish attend mass, where March 17th is the traditional day for offering prayers for missionaries worldwide before the serious celebrating begins.

HAPPY ST-PATRICK'S DAY MARCH 2011!