St. Patrick’s Day- Our Traditions, and Why They Matter
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Where I come from
So I am technically Irish. In fact, I am Irish, Welsh, English, Swiss Italian, German, French, Scottish, and Danish. For years my parents told me that I was very Irish. Very, very Irish. But then, when we really looked into it, I am actually only a drop of Irish and much more Scottish. Well, and really everything else too! Either way, we always celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. It changed a little every year, but the basics are always the same.
St Patrick’s Day- Our Traditions and Why They Matter
Our family makeup- We are all Irish Now
In our family, we have a lot of people adopted in, well, and really, we adopt in anyone we choose to love. With that in mind, I have raised all of my children to believe they are Irish, if only in spirit, and therefore, we all celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. In the United States, we have a tendency to adopt all holidays into our collection. I don’t know if other countries do this, but if we find a holiday, value the meaning, we celebrate. In our family we grew up celebrating Chinese New Year, Cinco de Mayo, 4th of July, as well as Danish Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day and Valentine’s Day. For my children, I have added on Hispanic Independence Day, Presidents Day, Passover, Adoption Day, and in all truth…Super Bowl and the Academy Awards. There are probably 20 more, but as you may have guessed, we enjoy a celebration!
We have a few old traditions that we have carried on for over 50 years. I have always loved them and maybe some of these are your traditions too!
Our Old St. Patrick’s Day Traditions
Corn Beef and Cabbage, Potatoes, and Veggies
Our family has been eating Corned Beef and Cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day since before I was born. My Mom said they started the first year she and my Dad were married. We all grew up loving Corned Beef in any capacity, Roast, Brisket, Sandwiches, and Hash. We love it, and making Corned Beef and Cabbage, with a few carrots and red potatoes thrown in is incredibly easy! And now, we have added Soda Bread of the years. It is easy to make and tastes great!
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Green Pancakes
I am not sure who started this St. Patrick’s Day tradition in our family, but we eat Green Pancakes on St. Patrick’s Day. Every Year. We simply add green food coloring to pancake mix, and voila! Green Pancakes! Just a little bit of fun to add to the day! I don’t think turning green is very Irish, I am pretty sure most of this is not. But, my kids love it and it makes the day festive.
St. Patrick’s Day Green Pancakes
Singing Irish Songs
One of my favorite childhood memories was spending Saturday mornings sitting around the stereo with my Mom, Dad, and Brother listing to music. We listened to cowboy songs, Billy Joel, and Musicals. But during the month of March, we listened exclusively to Irish songs. Very Good Times. Our families favorite Irish song from way back is By the Rising of the Moon by The Clancy Brothers.
We, of course, did the traditional wearing green, and if you didn’t you would get pinched if you were a boy, or kissed if you were a girl. Not sure that is allowed in schools today. I guess it was a very different time. We would decorate our house with shamrocks, and everything green. Later my Mom started watching the St. Patrick’s Day special on QVC. They would bring products and people from Ireland for the special day. Yes, we have Claddagh rings, Merino wool sweaters, and Dresden figurines thanks to this part of our tradition.
Our New Traditions
Our family has “Puppy Chow” or “Sweet Munch” for almost every holiday. I love all of the memories of my kids sitting around munching on it, talking and sharing how life used to be, and how it is changing. Good Times! I will share the recipe below of my St. Patrick’s Day version called Leprechaun Munch below!
Leprechaun Munch
Leprechaun Munch
Leprechaun Munch is easy to make and tasty to munch! Prefect for parties, after school, or to munch on during work! Add your own ideas to personalize it to your family!
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP Butter
- 2 Bags White Chocolate Chips or White Chips
- 10 Cups Rice Chex, or other plain cereal
- 1.5 Cups Powdered Sugar
- Green Sprinkles
- 3 Small Bags Mint M & M's
- 2 Cups Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies Cereal
- 1/2 Package Andes Mints
- 1 Bag Gold Coins
Instructions
-
Over medium heat warm large pot. Melt Butter in pot and then add bags of white chocolate chips. Melt the white chips stirring regularly.
Once melted remove from heat and stir in the Rice Chex or other plain cereal gently folding it until coated.
Place half of each powdered sugar in each of 2 Gallon size Baggies. Scoop half of the mixture each of the Gallon Bags. Close the bags, and "fluff" the mixture about until sufficiently coated. Then add sprinkles and fluff a bit more.
Pour out onto wax paper or parchment covered cookie sheet to cool. Once cool add remaining ingredients and mix about. Serve in a bowl, or small baggies for snacks. Keep well covered or in Ziploc baggies to maintain freshness. Lasts a week...unless your little Leprechauns find it! Then, it will go quite quickly! 🙂
As our traditions have changed over the years, the music has as well. Although I often throwback to our old Irish favorites, my children also grew up listening to Robin Mark, Rend Collective, and The Cranberries. I also have loved having my children search through the yard to find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Finally, we love to watch the story of St. Patrick as told by the Veggie Tales. This has been one of our favorite modern traditions. You can find it on Amazon and I have placed a link below if you want to check it out. The Story of St. Patrick is the intermission in the center of this video.
Why They Matter?
I have always found that it is important to belong to something bigger than yourself. This is how we build community. During my second semester in college, I was not able to travel home for Thanksgiving. It made me really lonely to think of not spending time with my family and loved ones. The family that I was renting a room from invited me to spend Thanksgiving Dinner with them and their extended family and friends.
St. Patrick’s Quote
It was interesting to me how their traditions varied from our families traditions. The foods were a little different, they dressed up much more than our family did, and it was much more formal of a setting. Yet, sharing in the holiday feast made me feel more like a part of their family. It helped me to understand who they were, how they lived, and what made them tick so to speak. Looking around the table I saw the same love and connection I would find at my house, just shared differently. That day really made me think. We are all a little different, but we are all so very the same. We all want to spend time with family and friends, be a part of something, belong.
I truly believe that traditions build family relationships. But they also help us to have an understanding of the traditions of others. And that is a good thing. So, what does your family do for St. Patrick’s Day? How have your family traditions evolved over the years? What are your families favorite holiday traditions and why? Share your thoughts below in the comments or our social media.
St Patrick’s Day- Our Traditions and Why They Matter
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