Green on St. Patrick's Day

jairyn_1 · Post by **jairyn_1** » 2004-03-13 08:29pm

Uhm.. How did this whole "tradition" start out, anyhow..?

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-03-13 08:33pm

Green = Irish pride/nationalism, and the day is an Irish holiday. That's about as complex as it gets.

SecondStorm · Post by **SecondStorm** » 2004-03-13 08:35pm

Joe wrote:Green = Irish pride/nationalism, and the day is an Irish holiday. That's about as complex as it gets.

Err why is the colour Green associated with Irish pride/nationalism ?

jairyn_1 · Post by **jairyn_1** » 2004-03-13 08:36pm

Joe wrote:Green = Irish pride/nationalism, and the day is an Irish holiday. That's about as complex as it gets.

Okay, I'm trying to make the connection to the Catholic Saint's day..

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-03-13 08:38pm

jairyn_1 wrote:
Joe wrote:Green = Irish pride/nationalism, and the day is an Irish holiday. That's about as complex as it gets.
Okay, I'm trying to make the connection to the Catholic Saint's day..

St. Patrick is a Catholic saint, but he is more importantly the patron saint of Ireland. Therefore, green.

jairyn_1 · Post by **jairyn_1** » 2004-03-13 08:39pm

Joe wrote:
jairyn_1 wrote:
Joe wrote:Green = Irish pride/nationalism, and the day is an Irish holiday. That's about as complex as it gets.
Okay, I'm trying to make the connection to the Catholic Saint's day..
St. Patrick is a Catholic saint, but he is more importantly the patron saint of Ireland. Therefore, green.

Allrighty. I knew that much.. I wondered if there was any significance to the Catholic Church and the green.

Beyond that.. what's with the pinching?

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-03-13 08:48pm

SecondStorm wrote:
Joe wrote:Green = Irish pride/nationalism, and the day is an Irish holiday. That's about as complex as it gets.
Err why is the colour Green associated with Irish pride/nationalism ?

It may go back even further than this, but the the late 17th and early 18th centuries wearing a green shamrock became a symbol of defiance to British rule.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-03-13 08:49pm

jairyn_1 wrote:
Joe wrote:
jairyn_1 wrote: Okay, I'm trying to make the connection to the Catholic Saint's day..
St. Patrick is a Catholic saint, but he is more importantly the patron saint of Ireland. Therefore, green.
Allrighty. I knew that much.. I wondered if there was any significance to the Catholic Church and the green.

Beyond that.. what's with the pinching?

Just an Irish custom. Nothing particularly significant historically about it, as far as I know.

The Aliens · Post by **The Aliens** » 2004-03-13 09:40pm

Pinching is easy to do when inerbated, so the Irish figured it would be a good thing to adopt. Luckily for us, they didn't realise that a good solid slap around the head is also easy.

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2004-03-13 09:48pm

Pinch? I thought it was a curb stomping for lack of green?

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2004-03-14 03:56am

Because the middle ages/rennassance armies dressed in bright colors so you knew which side the guy next too you was on.

Well Guess which color the Irish Nationalists backing Bonny Prince Charlie, wore against William of Orange.

InnerBrat · Post by **InnerBrat** » 2004-03-14 08:25am

Because the Irish are wierd freaky colonials. Just like you.

Post by **Dalton** » 2004-03-14 08:56am

It's not called the Emerald Isle for nothing.

Post by **Vympel** » 2004-03-14 08:59am

How come people give a shit about St Patrick's Day so much anyway?

Andrew J. · Post by **Andrew J.** » 2004-03-14 09:43am

Green is the color most closely associated with Ireland (because of its vast fields of green meadows and forests, not to mention green shamrocks) and therefore is most closely associated with its patron saint, Patrick, and therefore to that saint's feast day, March 17th.

Post by **Dalton** » 2004-03-14 10:54am

Vympel wrote:How come people give a shit about St Patrick's Day so much anyway?

Because it's a day to celebrate Ireland, the Irish, and an excuse to get royally shitfaced

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2004-03-14 10:57am

Vympel wrote:How come people give a shit about St Patrick's Day so much anyway?

A friendly reason to get drunk and see a river turn green

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2004-03-14 11:32am

I usually try to wear ORANGE on St. Patrick's day.

Post by **RogueIce** » 2004-03-14 04:19pm

Tsyroc wrote:I usually try to wear ORANGE on St. Patrick's day.

You shall burn, heretic.

Ok, none of those bastard better try anything at PT...not my fault the Navy foolishly left out green when designing the PT uniforms.

Post by **haas mark** » 2004-03-14 04:22pm

RogueIce wrote:
Tsyroc wrote:I usually try to wear ORANGE on St. Patrick's day.
You shall burn, heretic.

Hey.. I thought I was the Token Heretic (TM)...

Lord Pounder · Post by **Lord Pounder** » 2004-03-14 06:26pm

Tsyroc wrote:I usually try to wear ORANGE on St. Patrick's day.

Well it is the 3rd colour on the Irish Tricolour.

Personaly i got really into the whole St Patrick's day thing after i started working. It's a day off work spent in the pub.

Darth Garden Gnome · Post by **Darth Garden Gnome** » 2004-03-14 06:37pm

I don't know why normal folks celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but I know why bar owners do....

"Now lets all get drunk and play ping-pong!"

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2004-03-14 07:02pm

My cousin james is so proud of the "Noble Highlander" spirit that he wears orange and full tartan (qhich btw does contain green) on St. Patricks day....

Strangely no one want's to get into a fight with a 6 foot 4 inch scotsman.....

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2004-03-14 07:05pm

Lord Pounder wrote: Well it is the 3rd colour on the Irish Tricolour.

Personaly i got really into the whole St Patrick's day thing after i started working. It's a day off work spent in the pub.

When I wear it I'm trying to be somewhat obnoxious and to see if anyone who's celebrating St. Patrick's day gets it. It's mainly my jab at the obnoxious band wagon green beer swilling boozers who just need another excuse to get tanked. Down here we also get a similar band wagon boozer effect for Cinco de Mayo even though most real Mexicans don't celebrate it. Although, I don't know why they'd pass up an oportunity to celebrate kicking French ass.

From what I understand the Orange represents the Protestants. I do have some Irish ancestry but for as far back as we can trace my family they've been protestant so that's another reason for going orange.

That's assuming I bother. Most of the time I'm working on St. Patrick's day so that means light blue scrubs. I did sort of color my hair green one year but it was that stuff that washes out so easy so it was more like green mouse.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2004-03-14 10:42pm

In light of my newly discovered [url=http://liberty_chapel_cemetary.homestead.com/files/family/surname.html]heritage[/url] I too will celebrate St P D this year. No drinking, but I'll wear a green shirt around.