March brings about many exciting things. The weather begins to warm up again, basketball season is at its peak and spring break is right around the corner. But, perhaps one of the most exciting things that comes about in March is one of my personal favorite holidays, St. Patrick’s Day. It doesn’t matter if you’re Irish or not, St. Patty’s is a day where everyone can celebrate and have fun, and there is certainly no shortage of ways to join the party.
As a child, one of my favorite things about St. Patrick’s Day was waiting to see if the tiny, magic leprechaun would pay a visit to my house. I remember spending hours with my brothers making and decorating a leprechaun trap, in hopes of being able to catch the little green prankster. The next morning, we would wake up to green toilet water and chocolate gold coins spread around the house. The myth of the leprechaun is just one of the many adorable, light-hearted traditions that come with the Irish holiday.
One great, yet simple, way to add a touch of St. Patrick’s Day fun is to wear green. Wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day is meant to represent the luscious, green landscape of Ireland, symbolizing the “Emerald Isle” as it is often referred to. In fact, it is an old Irish legend that wearing green makes you invisible to the leprechaun. Wearing green also represents the Shamrock, which St. Patrick infamously used in an explanation of the Holy Trinity.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper holiday celebration without food. As simple and silly as it may sound, one of my favorite St. Patrick’s Day traditions is driving around with my friends to buy green “shamrock shakes” from McDonald’s. Additionally, the holiday is a great time to experiment with cooking and baking. A wonderful way to spend time with your family or friends could be finding and replicating recipes for green or St. Patty’s themed desserts. There is also no shortage of traditional Irish foods to try, such as Irish soda bread or corned beef and cabbage. Of course, there is always the option of trying new restaurants, or even revisiting some old favorites. Colony Grill in Fairfield is just one great example of a restaurant that would be perfect for a St. Patrick’s Day dinner.
Locally, there are some great ways to enjoy the St. Patty’s celebrations. Every year, there is a St. Patrick’s Day parade held in Stamford run by the Irish American Cultural Society. It includes dancers, marching bands, lots of participants, food and live music. There are also plenty of 5k runs and charity events in towns across Connecticut that host St. Patty’s themed events to raise money for various causes, which is an amazing way to not only celebrate the holiday, but give back to the community.
St. Patrick’s Day is an amazing example of light-hearted, exciting holiday fun. From local celebrations to nationally recognized parades in Chicago and New York City, there is no shortage of ways to get involved in the festivities. This St. Patrick’s Day, The Fairfield Mirror wish everyone joy, fun and, of course, plenty of good luck.