The late sixties saw the decline in the point-to-point races in Ireland. The Cariclee races were cancelled in the early seventies. The sound of the horse’s hooves pounding over the racecourse was replaced with the sound of gunfire. As teenagers, we listened to the cracking of weapons fire for the first time on the border between Tyrone and Donegal, at Strabane one St Patrick’s Day. “The Troubles” had begun. The horses were never to race again.

The St Patrick’s Day of the seventies were marred with violence in the North of Ireland, celebrations were muted, the March nights long and unsafe. St Patrick’s Day was celebrated across the border in Donegal or in Dublin City.

The St Patrick’s Days of the eighties and nineties were spent out of Ireland, in different countries and cities. Good people worked to bring together artists and writers, musicians and poets, where groups of Irish people met up to share the day. One isolated and isolating experience of a St Patrick’s Day was in Sri Lanka, in the Indian Ocean. That year, no other Irish person was to be found to share the day with, it made for an experience of dislocation and pure loneliness.

The new century in Ireland sees St Patrick’s Day being celebrated in Peace. Children born on the border of North and Southern Ireland this new decade experience St Patrick’s Day without the sound of gunfire.

People of all nations now celebrate St Patrick’s Day throughout the world. The major cities in many countries have their own official St Patrick’s Day parade. New traditions are being made, and they are welcomed.

Happy St Patricks Day.

©2006 Clare O Hagan

Clare O Hagan is co-owner of O Hagans Irish Store. With fellow artist Denise Wyllie, they design, produce and sell, funky goods with an Irish twist. http://www.clareohagan.com

The artists are affiliated to leading Women’s Health Institutions internationally. See their art at http://www.wyllieohagan.com

During the Christmas season, everywhere you go and everywhere you look, you are bound to find people celebrating Christmas Traditions of one sort or another. Our country is just FILLED with Christmas Traditions! Actually, when you think about it, the entire WORLD is filled with Christmas Traditions! Early Egyptians spent the Christmas season celebrating with mid-winter festivals. The ancient Romans also celebrated the Christmas season with their exchanging of gifts and candies. The Celtic culture had their own Christmas Traditions and celebrated with mistletoe and holly. In England, Queen Victoria started the Christmas Traditions of decorating indoor trees. And Charles Dickens helped popularize the Christmas Traditions of a Christmas Feast.

Nowadays, our American Christmas Traditions seem to gather together several various ancient Christmas Traditions. And why shouldn’t we? These countries and cultures had the right idea when it comes to Christmas time and Christmas Traditions. What would Christmas be without Christmas Traditions such as exchanging gifts, going to Christmas parties, Christmas trees, and of course an enormous Christmas dinner? These are all wonderful and exciting Christmas Traditions that are participated in throughout the country, no matter your way of life.

And with the continuance of Christmas Traditions comes the birth of new and modern Christmas Traditions. One of the most popular modern America Christmas Traditions is, of course, Santa Claus. What American, Christmas celebrating child, hasn’t heard of Santa Claus? Or another question, what Christmas celebrating child hasn’t participated in the Christmas Traditions of writing to Santa Claus? Why, Santa Claus is practically the modern symbol of Christmas!

Another of the ever famous Christmas Traditions that has expanded with the modern age is the sending of Christmas cards. Even ten and twenty years ago, while people all over the country celebrated the beginning of the Christmas season, and the onset of another year, by mailing Christmas cards to family and friends. This is one of the basic Christmas Traditions everybody seems to treasure. And now, with the birth of the modern age, people are saving time and money while participating in these Christmas Traditions by sending out Christmas e-Cards. These e-Cards can even be customized to include Christmas photos of family members. What a fun way to modernize such one of our favorite Christmas Traditions!

Christmas Traditions are held dear by everybody who celebrates Christmas. Some Christmas Traditions are celebrated universally throughout the country and throughout the world. Other Christmas Traditions are more specialized and cater to each particular family’s Christmas wishes. But whatever your Christmas Traditions, celebrate Christmas with all your heart! Christmas is a special time! Christmas is a time that should be treasured. Christmas is a time that should be anxiously awaited by people everywhere. And with Christmas, Christmas Traditions should be loved and adored.

What Is Your Favorite Christmas Tradition?

And with the continuance of Christmas Traditions comes the birth of new and modern Christmas Traditions. One of the most popular modern America Christmas Traditions is, of course, Santa Claus. What American,…. Learn more at Christmas Traditions and Christmas

For a Saint Patricks Day Menu, Americans think of green beer and corned beef and cabbage. That food and drink was not and is not a common Irish tradition. Originally, most people in Ireland could not afford or did not have access to beef. Their food was most often boiled cabbage and potatoes and, if they were fortunate, a bacon joint would be added to enhance the flavor of the meal.

Green beer was unheard of then and you’d be thought a fool in Ireland if you went to a pub and asked for one today.

How and when Americans adopted the tradition of corned beef and cabbage and green beer as part of the celebration is somewhat unclear, but here is what we do know. The St. Patricks Day celebration began in the U.S. in 1737 when the city of Boston decided to celebrate the day of Saint Patricks death as the Irish had been doing for many years.

The Boston celebration spread to other cities in America every year until the entire country, it seems, was celebrating the day.

It was in the late 19th century that corned beef and cabbage began to become more popular with the Irish emigrants in America and Canada, where both salt and meat were cheaper than in their native country.

They treated beef the same way they would have treated a bacon joint at home in Ireland. They soaked it to draw off the excess salt, then braised or boiled it with cabbage, and served it in its own juices with some pepper and bay leaf.

So pretend you’re Irish if you are not, get out the green, put on a shamrock, and have a party with friends and family, or at least recognize the day by eating Corned Beef & Cabbage, a Reuben Sandwich, Corned Beef Cabbage Soup, Corned Beef Hash for breakfast or another more truly traditional Irish meal such as Guinness Beef or Mutton Stew and go ahead, toast the Saint and the Irish, not with a green beer, but with a stout beer (that’s the Irish national drink and its black) or an Irish Coffee or Hot Double Irish or an Irish Cream Stinger.

An Irish Toast To You And Yours!
Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed away.
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.

Article written by Donna Hager
Donna Hager has owned and operated an American-style restaurant for over two decades. More articles can be found in her e-newsletter, “Whats Cookin?” and on her website that features real restaurant recipes, menus, cooking tips, and much more at Real Restaurant Recipes.

First of all consider, planning your Valentine’s Day celebration with your partner. Surprises are great and your partner may really appreciate your thoughtfulness and planning but one way to ensure your partner is thrilled with your plans for Valentine’s Day is to involve her in the planning process. Planning a special Valentine’s Day together gives you and your partner the opportunity to enjoy even more time together and to make plans which you know you will both love.

Another way to make sure your Valentine’s Day with someone special is a great day is to really put a great deal of time and effort into the planning. It can be difficult to plan a truly spectacular Valentine’s Day at the last minute because you are likely to run into a series of mishaps as a result of others trying to plan a great Valentine’s Day for themselves. To avoid this type of problem, plan way ahead and make all necessary reservations way in advance. If you put a great deal of time into planning your Valentine’s Day celebration, your partner is bound to notice. Conversely, if you try making plans at the last minute, she is likely to notice this as well and will likely feel disappointed that you didn’t spend more time planning.

Consider a weekend getaway for a truly memorable Valentine’s Day with someone special. A weekend getaway can be as elaborate as a long weekend on a tropical beach or a couple of days in a new city. It doesn’t matter where you go or what you do as much as it matters who you are with for this trip. If you are spending time with someone you love and going to a location you will both enjoy, it is sure to be a spectacular trip. For example a couple of sports enthusiasts might love a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY while a couple who loves the outdoors may appreciate a camping trip in the mountains of CO.

If you are spending Valentine’s Day with someone special, you might want to consider giving your loved one a truly unique gift. For example red roses are one of the most traditional Valentine’s Day gifts but you can put a spin on this old fashioned idea. For example, if your girlfriend loves gardening you might give her a gift such as a few gardening tools and some bulbs that you can plant together in the spring. It may not seem like the most romantic gift to others but if you know it is something your loved one will cherish; it can be a great Valentine’s Day gift.

Another way to spend a memorable Valentine’s Day with someone special is to cook a dinner for her yourself. Many couples view Valentine’s Day as a time to go out to expensive restaurants and enjoy elaborate meals but other couples enjoy staying home and enjoying a quite meal together. You can take charge of the planning and do all the cooking yourself or you can involve your girlfriend and turn the cooking into part of the date. For example if you know how to make a particularly difficult dish, you might ask your partner to help you so you can teach her the basics of how to make the dish. The two of you can spend some time preparing the meal together and then enjoy the dinner by candlelight.

Roses can be very expensive on Valentine’s Day but they are not the only flowers you can give on this special day. Any type of flower which your partner really likes and will appreciate can be an appropriate gift on Valentine’s Day. In fact your partner may be extremely touched that you knew them well enough to pick out a different type of flower which you knew they would like. This shows that you put a great deal of thought and effort into buying flowers as opposed to buying red roses which may be more expensive but do not require nearly as much effort.

Another way to give the gift of flowers on Valentine’s Day is in the form of potted plants. These last much longer than fresh flowers which means your partner will be able to enjoy the gift for much longer. You will also have the option of choosing from a large variety of different types of plants. If you know what type of plants your partner will like, selecting a plant will be easy. However, even if you are not sure you can simply select a plant which you think your partner will find aesthetically appealing. The one caveat to buying potted plants is that you should seek out a plant which is relatively easy to care for so your partner will not have a difficult time caring for the plant.

You might also want to consider giving artificial flowers on Valentine’s Day. This may not seem overly romantic but artificial flowers are now actually made to look quite lifelike and some women may actually prefer artificial flowers to real flowers. This may be because artificial flowers require very minimal maintenance and do not require any special abilities to maintain the appearance of the flowers. Unlike potted plants which can be difficult to maintain and may die as a result of too much water, not enough water, too much sunlight, not enough sun or any number of factors artificial plants only need to be cleaned and dusted regularly to maintain their appearance.

A final way to give the gift of flowers on Valentine’s Day is to give your partner seeds or bulbs which they can plant in their own backyard. This can be a great deal of fun because it can be something you and your partner can do together. This type of gift is especially a good idea if your partner has an interest in gardening. However, even if your partner does not have much of an interest in gardening you can include a few books on gardening and a homemade coupon offering your services for an afternoon of work in the garden. This will make the give more special and will allow the two of you to spend some quality time together planting the flowers.

The most important tip we can offer for those who are planning to cook dinner on Valentine’s Day is to keep the meal simple. This does not mean you have to serve something boring. Rather it means you should plan on cooking a meal which is not overly complicated or difficult to make. This is important because if you plan a meal which is too difficult you may spend too much time in the kitchen working on the meal and not enough time enjoying the results of your efforts with your loved one.

Another great tip for cooking dinner on Valentine’s Day is to make sure the meal you select is one your partner will enjoy. When selecting the meal, consider your partners personal preferences as well as allergies or any dietary restrictions. This will help to ensure you are cooking a meal which both you and your partner can enjoy. For example a steak dinner may seem romantic but if your partner is a vegetarian she may not appreciate this type of meal.

If you are planning to cook dinner on Valentine’s Day, you should also purchase all the ingredients ahead of time. This will help to ensure you are not scrambling at the last minute to find a few hard to find ingredients. It will also help to alleviate a great deal of stress which could occur if you find yourself unable to find some of the key ingredients and having to make substitutions. However, if you plan ahead and buy all of your ingredients a day or two in advance, you do not have to worry about rushing around on Valentine’s Day to get everything ready and can spend more time preparing for the meal by prepping vegetables or making dishes ahead of time.

You might also want to consider asking your partner to help you cook the meal on Valentine’s Day. This is a fun way to make the act of cooking dinner a way for the two of you to spend some additional quality time together. If you are planning an elaborate meal, you and your partner can work together to make sure everything turns out great. Even if you are planning a simple meal, you will still enjoy the time you get to spend together and will likely enjoy the meal even more because you cooked it together.

One way to make cooking dinner together more like a date is to plan on taking a cooking class together on Valentine’s Day. You and your partner can sign up to take a class together where you will learn a new style of cooking. You will both learn something and you will get to spend some time together making the meal. Furthermore, you will likely be able to bring the meal you made home to share. This means you will not only have a great meal but you will have had a great time making the meal together. This is a great idea for couples who are on a first date because it can be a real ice breaker. During the class you will be involved with working together and following the instructions. Afterwards you will have a great deal to talk about because you will automatically have something in common. You can share your thoughts on the class or even stories about the mistakes you made while in class.

First we will consider the case of a couple who is in a long distance relationship. For this couple, they may be used to spending important days such as Valentine’s Day, anniversaries and other holidays apart so it may not be as difficult for them to deal with. However, there are ways this couple can still celebrate Valentine’s Day together. One way to do this is to both rent the same movie and watch it while on the phone together. This may run up your phone bill but if you have unlimited evening minutes you and your partner can chat away on your cell phones while you watch the movie together. You might even consider both ordering the same type of food such as pizza or Chinese food so you will feel even more together for a little while.

Next we will consider a couple who finds themselves spending Valentine’s Day apart do to an unexpected business trip. This can be particularly difficult because the couple is not used to being apart on important days and likely did not have a great deal of time to prepare for spending the holiday apart. In this situation the couple should discuss Valentine’s Day as soon as they realize they are going to be spending the holiday apart. While discussing it they can decide whether they want to celebrate before they separate or after they are reunited. It is also important for the couple to try to at least have some contact on Valentine’s Day even if it is over the phone or through email. This will allow the couple to feel like they are together in some way so they don’t get too lonely. Having flowers delivered to your loved one while you are separated is also a very thoughtful gesture.

Finally, we will consider the case of a couple who cannot spend Valentine’s Day together because one or both of them does work which involves odd shifts. This could include doctors, firefighters, police officers or a variety of other professions. Individuals in this type of situation are probably used to their odd schedule and making time to be together outside of working hours. In this case the best way to deal with being apart on Valentine’s Day is to plan on celebrating together when it is more convenient. This may not seem like the most romantic option but sometimes it is important to remember that you love your partner every day of the year and you don’t have to be together on Valentine’s Day to prove your love for each other.

Valentine’s Day has become quite the holiday in the US. Massive corporations like Hallmark and Hershey’s have transformed the holiday into a consumer-driven expression of love. But where did it originate? Who is Saint Valentine? Surprisingly Valentine’s Day has transformed with history and you could be surprised to find that Valentine’s Day started off quite differently than it transformed to be today.

Saint Valentine and Lupercalia in Ancient Rome

Lupercalia was a pagan holiday that originated as a banquet to celebrate the fertility of the approaching spring when, according to myth, birds commenced mating. Lupercalia goes back to ancient Rome. It is said that during Lupercalia Feb 14, boys would place the names of young maidens in a box. The gentlemen would then draw the names from the box and the girl that they selected would be their partner for the holiday.

When Claudius II became Emperor of Rome, his bloody reign fully changed the society of Rome. Deemed Claudius the Cruel, he had some problems enrolling men in the militia. Claudius II basically banned marriage and engagements from Rome in order to get men to enroll in the army.

As a consequence of this, Saint Valentine provided sanctuary for the martyrs and married people in secret. Naturally, he was caught and Saint Valentine was to be dragged thru the streets of Rome and beaten to death with clubs. It is said that Saint Valentine fell head over heels in love with the jailer’s girl while he was waiting his sentence. On the day of his execution, Feb 14, he wrote a letter to the jailer’s girl signing it “From Your Valentine.” Saint Valentine became the Patron Saint of Lovers from that day forward.

Chaucer’s Parlement of Foules in Britain

When Valentine’s Day was banned in Rome following 500 AD, it did not get revived till the 1300s with Chaucer’s Love Birds. It was the first recorded party of Valentine’s Day.

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a story of romantic love in Parlement of Foules in 1382. It was meant to honor the engagement of King Richard II of Britain and Anne of Bohemia. He writes, “For this was Saint Valentine’s Day, when each bird cometh there to choose his mate.” Chaucer’s story might have been referring to May when the birds mated in England, but critics often agree that he is referring to Valentine’s Day as Lupercalia from traditional Rome.

Valentine’s Day Through Medieval and Renaissance Europe

Valentine’s Day was discussed many times all though Western european literature in the Medieval and Renaissance time periods. In 1400 Paris, France, a “High Court of Love” was established on Valentine’s Day. This court related to love contracts, adultery, and other relationship subjects. Judges were even selected by girls thru a poetry reading. The Duke of Orleans even wrote to his wife from the Tower of London on Valentine’s Day.

Shakespeare mentions Valentine’s Day in Hamlet. Ophelia accounts Valentine’s Day in anger. John Donne mentions Valentine’s Day in Epithalamion.

Modern Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day cards commenced being manufactured in the 1800s and the 1st made valentine in the United States was printed by Esther Howland in Massachusetts. In the 20th century, Valentine’s Day turned into “Singles Awareness Day” as single folk started resenting the idea of couples on Valentine’s Day. Roughly 190 million valentines are printed annually now and it has turned into a tradition where youngsters pass them out in classes and folk give them to work-mates.

Get more insight about Valentine’s Day on Experts123.com.

If you are planning to take your partner out to dinner to celebrate Valentine’s Day but are having trouble making reservations you might consider making your reservations for the day after Valentine’s Day or for the first weekend after Valentine’s Day. This will give you many additional options and will help to make your planning easier. However, if this is what you are planning you should probably also consult your partner to make sure celebrating a day late or even a few days late will not be disappointing to your partner. This is an important factor to consider because there are many who are very adamant about going out to celebrate on Valentine’s Day and may be extremely disappointed if plans are made for a day late.

If your partner will be extremely disappointed about celebrating Valentine’s Day, it might be a good idea to alter the plans rather than delaying them. For example if you want to avoid having to wait more than an hour for a table at a fancy restaurant, try cooking a great meal for your partner instead. You will still be celebrating in a really fun way but you won’t have the stress of dealing with a crowded restaurant.

Sometimes it is not merely a matter of convenience which makes it necessary to celebrate Valentine’s Day a day or two late. You or your partner may have an unusual work schedule which would make getting together on Valentine’s Day extremely difficult. For example doctors often work a few long shifts per week which can interfere with Valentine’s Day plans. If you or your partner is in this type of situation it is best to discuss Valentine’s Day ahead of time and figure out what will work best for the two of you. You might decide it would be a good idea to celebrate few days late or you may even agree to just exchange cards for Valentine’s Day. Whatever you decide you should make sure it is a decision which makes you both happy.

Finally, if you and your partner are planning to celebrate Valentine’s Day a day or two late it is important to remember that you should still treat your celebration with all of the excitement and enthusiasm as you would if you were celebrating on the 14th of February. For example if you would buy a new dress, get your nails done or get your hair done for Valentine’s Day you should still go ahead and do these things even if you are celebrating Valentine’s Day late. It will help to make the celebration feel more fun and exciting.

However, beyond the expensive gifts, personalized Christmas cards, delicious dinner or the seemingly endless merrymaking, I do think that we must not forget why we celebrate Christmas.

Back when I was much youthful, my parents used to tell me stories about Jesus Christ.  I remember that the plot of his birth or what many of us might refer to as the nativity was my personal favorite.  I believe that it was actually one of the most amazing story regarding Jesus before he was nailed in the crucifix.  That is because it really feels so humbling to learn that somebody as superior as him will be born with utmost simplicity.  Perhaps, that time, it was even a really cheap way to be born.

Today, women who are pregnant would carefully select the medical center they are going to give birth and families would need to save a lot of money for this event.  Prior to having a baby, pregnant ladies will have to buy plenty of things for the unborn baby and we even have the modern technology which allows us to take a glance of just how our unborn babies look like.  I guess having a baby these days has gotten too expensive.

During Jesus’ period, he was born inside a manger.  A manger is actually an animal shelter.  So essentially, when Mary had been experiencing labor pains, she was with the farm animals.  And if the newborn Jesus could see, he might have first seen farm animals aside from his father and mother.  There used to be no nurses and no doctors to help them.

I just hope that whenever we have Christmas or intend to give some business Christmas cards, we will always think about the humility that God has shown us. And as much as we are able to, we should at all times make ourselves modest and grant this humility to others.  I hope that it doesn’t only take place on the twenty fifth of December but the whole year round.  This way, we might have not been fortunate to assist Jesus during the time of his birth yet we will surely have lived up to the lessons and ideals that He has shown us.