Celebrating St Patrick's Day

WORDS:: Chyka Keebaugh

PHOTOS:: Lisa Atkinson

 

It has been said I’ll celebrate anything, and you know what? I will! Give me a reason to colour code a table setting, and I’ll jump at the chance! 

St Patrick's day falls on the 17th March every year. I love to see the mass of green quirky accessories in the shops in the lead up to this celebration. Like with any date you choose to mark the occasion with, it's always important to how why you are celebrating; so here are a few fun facts about St Patricks day that you might not know!

Some fun & interesting facts...

  • Named after the patron Saint of Ireland, St Patrick was so special to everyone as he converted a lot of pagans to Christianity, growing the Catholic church. After doing this for 20 years, he died and was happily commemorated on this day. It soon turned from a day of Catholic worship to what it is today - a day to celebrate the Irish.

  • St Patrick was said to have found a shamrock, the three-leafed clovers which he believed represented the holy trinity (the Father the son and the holy spirit). It is from here we associate the clover with the Irish, therefore St Patrick's day. But finding three leaf clovers isn’t too hard, it’s the four leaf that is sought after!

  • St Patrick's day parades are held in major cities all over the world, most notably in Chicago where the Chicago River is dyed green. Others have followed suit and coloured (with lighting) their buildings; the Sydney Opera House, The pyramids, Empire State Building and Niagara Falls.

  • It is estimated that as many as 13 Million pints of Guinness are consumed on Saint Patrick’s Day, up from the usual 5.5 Million per day! Oh dear me!

  • Wear green or you’ll get pinched by a leprechaun! Yes, that’s the folklore. Apparently, these little creatures can't see green, so if you don’t wear this shade, they will pinch you. You have been warned!

So how will you celebrate the day? With an all green outfit? A couple of pints of Guinness? I’ll be having a fun dinner wth friends and serving them a dessert of chocolate Guinness cake and washing it down with an inspired cocktail; because what would St Pat's day be without a whisky? You don’t need to put the colour in, but it is certainly fun to add it in as a talking point…

Shamrock Sour Cocktail INGREDIENTS ::

  • Two tablespoons lime juice

  • 1/2  tablespoon lemon juice

  • 1/4 cup simple syrup

  • 2 ounces Irish whisky

  • A few drops of green food colouring

  • lime wedges for garnish

COCKTAIL METHOD ::

  1. Combine ingredients and shake well; strain over ice.

  2. Garnish with a lime wedge and a shamrock stirrer.

  3. To avoid your drink becoming too green, you can dab an extra wooden skewer into the green food colouring and then stir that into your drink to better control the amount of colour.

Credits: Cocktail via pizzazzerie.com,

Drinks, World EventsChyka Keebaugh [Chyka.com]Comment