I’ve been contemplating the holiday a bit this year! I am of Irish decent so have always felt close to the holiday. In years past it was always it was for purposes of the normal celebration (everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s day right!)
Well this year, since I don’t live that kind of life anymore, I wanted to find ways to celebrate without sacrificing my morals or standards. I began to think – Who IS St. Patrick and what made him so special that the Catholic church would make him a saint?
Now we all know that I’m not Catholic but that doesn’t mean that I can’t learn about great men. It’s obvious that he was a great man or he wouldn’t have been given such an honorable title. So here is what I found out and perhaps some more… constructive ways to celebrate being Irish (even if you’re not!)
From the CATHOLIC website I found THIS information about the Patron Saint of Ireland:
St. Patrick was born in Scotland and when he was 14 was kidnapped and sold into slavery to the Irish. He was there for many years and began to learn the language and customs of the people. He turned to God in prayer often. At age 20 he escaped to the shore and found passage back to Britain and was reunited with his family. He later went on to receive his “priesthood” from the Catholic church and became a Bishop upon which he returned to Ireland to preach. Within 40 years he converted the island. After many struggles in life he died on March 17, 461. He is revered as using the shamrock as teaching tool for the trinity.
St. Patrick accomplished much in his life. Here are some of the things that I FEEL we could learn from him.
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He loved the Irish people. The same people that forced him into slavery. Yet he loved them. He loved those that despised him.
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He was a true missionary. Returning to the land that held him captive and converted them. It took almost half a century – but the Love of Christ and the truth will always prevail (even when it seems that it WON’T!)
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He consistently prayed to Heavenly Father for aid and strength. He not only prayed for himself but for those around him.
So a more adequate way of celebrating this holiday would be to do those things that HE DID. Be a missionary, love those people around us (especially those that would hurt us) and pray. Of course you can eat traditional Irish food and play traditional Irish games but I truly believe that St. Patrick and our Father in Heaven would prefer if our time was spent in the service of our fellow man!
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Here are some traditional Irish games that I’m thinking of playing this year with Ethen!
Mr. Fox (Found here)
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In this game for three or more children, the group chooses one child to be the fox. The fox and the rest of the group stand at least twenty feet apart, facing one another. The children say to the fox, "What time is it, Mr. Fox?" The fox replies, "One o'clock." The children step slowly toward the fox and repeat their question. He answers again, "One o'clock." This continues until the fox decides to reply, "Dinnertime!" at which point the children turn and run away from the fox, trying to get back to the starting line before the fox tags one of them. If the fox does tag someone, that person becomes the fox. If the fox doesn't succeed, he remains the fox until he does tag someone.
Irish Hot Potato (found here)
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Instruct children to sit in a circle and give one child a potato. Turn on Irish or Celtic jig music and instruct the child holding the potato to pass it to the person on his right. They must continue passing the potato as quickly as they can, for when the music stops, the person holding the potato is out of the game.
Shamrock Stomp (found here)
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The following is a version of "Musical Chairs," perfect for entertaining kids on St. Patrick's Day. Tape three large shamrocks to the floor. Instruct children to stand on them so that a portion of one foot is touching the shamrock. Turn on Irish or Celtic jig music and tell children to dance around the room, but that when the music stops, they must run and touch one of the shamrocks with one of their feet. Remove a shamrock after each round.
These games sound like so much fun! I can’t wait to try them with Lil’man!
Here are some other ideas that I found on Pinterest (I love that site!)
callherhappy, theideadoor, mommygaga, musingsandtidbits
(I could go on FOR-EV-ER if you want to see more amazing stuff search Pinterest for “St. Patrick’s Day Kids” So much stuff!!!
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Just for fun – I think Veggietales had the best explanation of St. Patrick! I just love Veggietales!!!
(Just so we are clear – I believe that God, Christ and the Holy Ghost are 3 separate and distinct individuals with ONE PURPOSE).
So this St. Patrick’s Day my family will be doing as the patron saint did! I think we might also be enjoying some fantastic Irish grub and play some fun games… Maybe we will even have green – apple juice!!! Hope you find ways this year to make St. Patrick’s Day special and not just a meaningless holiday!
