St PATRICK'S DAY in GAILLIMH

A GREAT EVENT !
The day after our arrival has been a great holiday in Galway and all over Ireland ! We really couldn't have a better chance to learn on the cultural heritage of a foreign country. 
We met our Irish friends downtown and we joined them marching in the parade on St Patrick’s Day. We were also greeted and thanked by the authorities of the city as the "friends" of San Phroinsias. It has been great fun and most of all an amazing opportunity to learn about one of the most important Irish cultural festival. We have been part of the parade, wearing the green, marching and playing the Irish tunes with the whistle !!

The Galway St Patrick's Day Parade is definitively an exciting mix of marching bands, local community groups, dancing groups, pipe bands and local business floats.The theme of the 2014 Parade, this year,  was “The Sea” representing a great force of nature that flowing through Galway City's streets, demonstrates the deep relationship with the sea. Above the route of the parade.

But … why do the Irish celebrate Saint Patrick Day?

Saint Patrick's Day, celebrated on 17 March, is a cultural and religious holiday widely celebrated by the Irish troughout the world. It is named after Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The day commemorates Saint Patrick, the arrival of Christianity in Ireland as well as celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations mostly include public parades and festivals, and the wearing of green clothes or shamrocks. Christians also attend church services.

Wearing of the green

The colour associated with Saint Patrick is green. Saint Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish. As well as Dublin, many other cities, towns, and villages in Ireland hold their own parades and festivals, including Cork, Belfast, Derry, Kilkenny, Limerick, and Waterford. People and children dress up in fancy costumes. One of these is the leprechaun...

The leprechaun is a type of fairy in Irish folklore, usually taking the form of an old man, dressed in a red or green coat, who enjoys partaking in mischief. The Leprechauns spend all their time making shoes, and store away all their coins in a hidden pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If captured by a human, the Leprechaun has the magical power to grant three wishes in exchange for his release. Popular depiction shows the Leprechaun as being no taller than a small child with a beard and hat.

P.S. We were really lucky as we met a leprechaun in Dublin on March the 19th!
 Sabina & the Italians