I'm Irish.... Don't Get Any Idea's!

So, I'm Irish.

. Partially. Actually I'm kind of a mutt. There's some Dutch in there, some German, some British, Some Cherokee Indian, and even some French Canadian. (sadly) But if you want to pin down the major nationalities in my heritage, it's Italian, and Irish. {and personally, I think that's kinda cool!} Now, you have to understand that my family isn't really big on ethnic heritage. I'm an American, and I'm super proud of that! So that's what I consider my heritage. Buuuuut it is kind of neat to see where my ancestors came from and what types of cultures are in my distant background! (Well, not so distant with the Italian, my dad's dad was an Italian whose parents both came over from Italy) My favorite part of looking into my ancestry is..... Can you guess? Seeing what types of food they ate! And that brings us back to today's post. Sort of. It's St. Patricks day! We don't have many traditions regarding this day. I generally wear some type of green to avoid being pinched by obnoxious people, and that's about the extent of it. But my grandma? Every year she makes Corned Beef and Cabbage on March 17th. I have to admit, it's not my favorite meal. But still, I love the tradition!!! [I think when I have kids our St. Patty's Day tradition will be Lucky Charms] So. This is the extent of the green I wore this year:

The ring I wear almost every day, it was a gift from my grandma on my eighteenth birthday. The emerald stone is gorgeous, deeeeep deep green =) And the band is from a rainbow colored set of bracelets. It's made of rubber. And totally doesn't match my outfit. (I wore it for an added sense of security)

So, if anyone's considering pinching me, think again! 

I heard someone say last night that only catholics are supposed to wear green, and for protestants the color of the day is orange. I did a little bit of research on this, {emphasis on little} and found this article, which I found pretty interesting! Here's part of it:

Protestant Irish have been known as “orange” ever since 1690 when William of Orange (William III), the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, defeated King James II, a Roman Catholic, in the Battle of the Boyne near Dublin. William’s victory would ensure Protestant military dominance on the island and has been a source of tension ever since. Although the “Orange” in William’s name actually referred to a province in southern France, the color reference stuck. This is why orange now appears in the Irish flag – to symbolize the Protestant minority in Ireland.
Thus, “Orange Protestants” have been around for quite a while, but wearing the color on St. Patrick’s is a relatively new phenomenon. The first group to take part in the tradition appears to have been the Orange Institution, a Protestant fraternal organization more commonly known as the Orange Order. Some members of the order wore orange in various parades on St. Patrick’s Day as a mark of defiance.

So, I should have worn orange instead!!! But at least this way I know I'm safe =)

One awful thing about St. Patricks day is the amount of alcohol consumption. I read that March 17th is one of the busiest days in the whole year for bar's and pubs! It's terrible! All those people out there drinking, impairing their judgement, and then unleashing themselves on our public with about a fifth or less of their normal brain power. Greeaaaaat idea. Oh well, all I can do is abstain myself, and hope, pray, and encourage others to do the same!

On a random note: we know from scripture that all who have trusted in Christ as their savior are saints. So, I officially move to make November 8th St. Bailey Day! And if you don't wear pink, you have to give any chocolate in your possession to someone named Bailey. Brilliant, isn't it???

Till Next Time.....

The (Irish) Princess