St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations: An Irish Way Of Feasting On The Fest
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St. Patrick’s day marks the celebration of Irish culture. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are special, unique, and remarkable. Here, we compiled a list of the traditional and modern ways of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. Have fun on this great day of celebrating and honoring Irish culture and heritage for ages.
Celebrating Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s day is celebrated as a religious and cultural holiday on 17th March. The day marks the death of the Patron saint, Patrick. He was the one who brought Christianity to Ireland. St. Patrick’s day is celebrated in his name and is considered a national holiday. The Irish diaspora played a crucial part in popularizing the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
The significance of celebrating the holiday is to recognize Irish culture, heritage, and contributions to the world. The religious significance includes the celebration of St. Patrick for bringing Christianity. On this day, people visit the church in the mornings and enjoy the whole day, having fun with family and friends.
How to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?
Traditionally, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations include dressing in green apparel & accessories, partying, watching the parade, decorating your space, preparing tasty food and drinks, organizing themed games, and much more.
1. Go Green
The Green color is associated with the color of the Shamrock, a significant symbol of Ireland, and also with St. Patrick’s. Going green on St. Patrick’s day dates back hundreds of years. Wearing green apparel and green accessories on Patrick’s day is considered luck.
Shop everything green, from apparel to decor from exclusive brands, and avail excellent discounts when you shop during St. Patrick’s day. You can make additional savings when you apply Smarty coupons and cashback. These coupons will be applied automatically when you use the Smarty browser extension, or you can choose the Smarty app to explore promo codes from your favorite brands.
2. Watch Parade
Many cities around the globe host St. Patrick’s day parades that attract hundreds and thousands of visitors and artists. They all enjoy and have fun during the parade, featuring marches, dances, Irish music & songs, color floats, shamrocks, and more.
3. Host a Party
Have fun and interactive time with family and friends by hosting a St. Patrick’s Day celebrations party at home. Prep your home and outdoors with green-colored decorations, list down the themed games, order some traditional Irish food, green beer & Irish whisky, green icing & creamy desserts, and other requirements for fun activities.
4. Enjoy Irish Music, Dance & Movies
Get into the true spirit of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations by adding traditional Irish dance, classical Irish music, and recent Irish movies to your bucket list. Don’t forget to compile your list of songs on Youtube, Spotify, or other music apps and movies on Netflix, HBO Max, paramount+, Hulu, amazon prime, Disney+, or other streaming platforms.
The modern bands of Irish music are – U2, Thin Lizzy, The Cranberries, and The Corrs. The recent and feel-good movies to screen are The Commitments, Once, Killing Bono, The Wind that Shakes the Barley, and more.
5. Try Irish DIY Decor
What’s more fun than bringing the festive vibe with your handmade decor? Adding some personal flair to your home and outdoors during st. Patrick’s Day celebrations will cheer you up and spark your creativity.
Try these DIY crafts and fill your space with greens all-around:
i. Paper Shamrocks
As the day signifies shamrocks, making paper shamrocks is a no-brainer.
To make the shamrocks, cut the paper into squares and fold them in the middle. Draw a half-shamrock and cut according to the drawing while the edges are intact. When you open it, you can see the paper shamrocks. Remember to use different shades of green colored paper to match the theme of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
ii. St. Patrick’s Day Wreaths
Wreaths are evergreen decor pieces, and when they are made to signify the greens, no doubt you can reflect nature within them.
Buy or make a wreath and wrap it with a green ribbon. Now, glue it with other small decorative items like tiny shamrocks, smaller faux greenery pieces, etc. Cover the entire wreath with these decor items and make it look green, and your wreath is ready! Decorate it outdoors or on the gateway to give a tint of Irish cheer.
iii. St. Patrick’s Day Centerpieces
Yes, you can’t go wrong with this artwork! Fill a glass vase with water, and add some green food coloring. Mix well. Add decorative elements to it. Cut the stems of flowers according to the vase and add white, gold, and green colored flowers to it. And ta-da! Your DIY is ready. Isn’t it a fabulous centerpiece for your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations?
Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations will be incomplete without food and drinks, as Irish Cuisine takes you to a state of euphoria and leaves you with utmost delight. Here is a list of foods you can try during your Patrick’s Day celebrations:
i. Appetizers
Appetizers surprisingly give hunger pangs and invite our tummies to indulge in them. And when it comes to Irish appetizers, they are exceptional in their own way. So never miss the Irish appetizers on the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, as they are mouth-watering and have unique flavors.
1. Irish Potato Cakes/ Boxty
Not your ordinary cake, but these Irish potato cakes are going to test your tastebuds and impress them with their deliciousness.
To make this recipe, take a bowl and add grated raw potatoes, mashed cooked potatoes, flour, salt, baking powder, chopped scallions, or herbs and mix them well. Take another bowl and whisk milk, eggs, and melted butter thoroughly. Now, add the whisked mixture to the potato mixture and combine them. Heat a pan on medium flame, add the potato mixture, and flatten it. Cook for 3-5 minutes until it becomes roasted, crispy, and brown. Transfer the cakes and serve hot.
2. Irish Soda Bread
This bread is easy to make, yummy to eat, and handy to serve.
Start the recipe by preheating the oven to 425 F. Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda, and add buttermilk. Mix well until the dough forms. Now flatten the dough into a round shape on a baking sheet and cut in the shapes you wish. Bake it for 30-40 minutes, transfer the bread, and cool it before serving. You can add raisins, dried fruits, nuts, and seeds.
ii. Main Course
The main course, undoubtedly, is a significant part of the meal we love to devour. Try these Irish cuisines that are perfect for st. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
1. Vegan Colcannon
To all those vegans out there, this dish is especially for you. But if you are a meat lover, we bet you would love to add some proteins and nutrients to your diet. And this being said, try vegan colcannon to taste the richness of plant-based food.
To prepare vegan colcannon, boil potatoes in salted water for 15-20 minutes. Simultaneously, cook cabbage for 10-15 minutes in another pot. Now take a bowl and add rinsed cabbage, kale, leek, potatoes, non-dairy milk, butter or olive oil, onions, salt, and pepper. Mash them well and add seasonings to them and serve hot. This dish is as simple and nutritious as it sounds!
2. Corned Beef Cabbage
Here’s another recipe to satisfy your cravings, especially for non-vegetarians.
To make this recipe, take the pre-soaked (in brine solution) beef brisket and wash it with water thoroughly. Next, boil it for 2-3 hours until the beef becomes tender. Add potatoes, cabbage, carrots, sliced onions, minced garlic, and water for boiling and cook for 30-40 minutes. Add salt and pepper in the last 5 minutes, and your dish is ready. You can even add spices or beer if you are interested.
Also Read: Heart-Healthy Recipes That Are Easy and Yummy!
iii. Desserts
A meal is always incomplete without a dessert. Satisfy your palate and tummy with these extremely delicious desserts in an Irish way to celebrate St. Patrick’s day.
1. Irish Whiskey Truffles
Oh, so chocolatey and yummy!!! Yes, Irish whiskey truffles are the perfect desserts for those who crave chocolate, and we bet you’re among them. Right?
To start with the recipe, melt the chopped dark chocolate in a double boiler and keep it aside. Heat heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium flame until it simmers. Add Irish Whiskey to the cream and stir it well. Now, pour this mixture over the melted chocolate and mix well. Add softened butter and stir. Cover the mixture and chill for 2 hours. Finally, scoop the mixture and make small balls, roll them in cocoa powder, and serve them. Now your chocolatey delight is ready to melt in your mouth!
2. Irish Cream Cheesecake
Tantalize your tastebuds with this exquisite Irish recipe on St. Patrick’s Day.
To make Irish cream cheesecake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter and place the mixture as a base. Beat cream, cheese, and sugar until they smoothen, and add eggs. Add the Irish cream liqueur and vanilla extract and mix well. Pour the mixture on the crust and bake it for 40-50 minutes. Cool it to room temperature and chill for 2 hours. Before serving, add whipped cream and chocolate shavings as toppings.
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are all about respecting and embracing Irish culture and the Patron saint, Patrick. This year, enjoy the holiday in a creative and delicious way.
Happy Patrick’s Day!
