Greens - Wearing Any For St Patrick's Day?

Author: KathyM

Saint Patrick, was said to have used the shamrock, the 3 leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish pagans. St. Patrick's Day began as a Catholic holiday. It is now also a day to celebrate Irish culture.

I grew up 30 miles away from Boston, Massachusetts, which has a major Irish population. As a child, I assumed the wearing of green on March 17th, watching the mezmerizing irish dancing and eating a boiled dinner of corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes was something everyone did. Later on, I learned, it was common in areas that had Irish descendants.

I knew I had a little bit of Irish in me. My great grandmother, Anne Ryan, was only 4 when she was shipped across the Atlantic to North America by her parents to escape what was happening in Ireland due to the Potato Famine in the 1800's.

I have not been to Ireland yet. Everyone who has been is so struck by its natural beauty. It's terraine is harsh in so many places. Yet, magnificent shades of green in the form of water, moss, grasses, tree leaves, etc. soften that harshness somehow. When I look at photos of Ireland, I feel and see this. Somehow, now, there's a strong pull to go there. I will go.

So, do you wear any green on St. Patrick's Day? It's such a nice gesture, don't you think? In school, some of the kids would be so silly. Every piece of fabric on them would be green. It didn't matter if shades didn't go together, or if stripes were put next to pocka dots. I was lucky if I had one article of clothing that was green and freshly laundered!

When I was in my late teens and early twenties, I would wear socks, a hair ribbon, a skirt or a wool sweater that was green on St. Patrick's Day. One year, my boyfriend gave me a claddagh friendship ring. This one was so different and lovely. The heart in the center was made out of Connemara Marble. For those of you who don't know, this is mined in Ireland and it is green! The hands holding the heart had marcasite insets. It was the most beautiful claddagh ring I had ever seen! And, for many Saint Patrick's Days, this heart was the green I would wear!

Today, I generally wear a green scarf on St. Patrick's Day. It's my way of saying I remember and appreciate my Irish heritage and it's also an affirmation that I will be visiting Ireland, someday.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fashion-articles/greens-wearing-any-for-st-patricks-day-4350210.html

About the Author

Kathy lives just outside of Boston in Massachusetts and began working for the largest off-price clothing retailer in the world in the early 1980's, in their IT division. Her passion for timeless and elegant women's fashion clothing accessories has led to the unveiling of her online boutique, Scarfsense.

Image source: Google