by Tara Rijon

Created on: March 06, 2009

Ireland was made up primarily of Celt's before St. Patrick entered upon the scene and converted them all to Christianity in 433 A.D. Their pagan religion gave way to many legends and folklore that continue to live on to this day.

One cannot think Irish without the outlandish tale of the leprechaun coming to mind. A leprechaun is a small elf like creature that lives in the remote hills and forests of Ireland (or so they say). They are cobblers by trade, and are said to spend all of their lives making shoes for the fairies. They enjoy playing tricks on people, and if something is lost, you can be assured that a leprechaun took it.

Legend says that leprechaun's possess a pot of gold, reportedly left over from the invasion of the Vikings. If you spot a leprechaun, you must not take your eyes off of it, as it will quickly disappear. If you're lucky enough to catch one, he will offer up his pot of gold for his release. Be careful though. The music of a leprechaun can be very bewitching, and will cause them to have complete control over you.

Ireland is well known for its shamrocks, a three-leafed clover whose name actually means "little clover" (derived from the Irish word "seamrog"). If you find one with four leafs, however, you are destined for good luck for as long as you keep it. The custom, dating back to the 1600's, was to wear a shamrock in you hat, not on your lapel as is widely believed.

The color green in Ireland is symbolic of the lush green foliage throughout the country, for which it is amply referred to as The Emerald Isle. If you live in the United States, chances are that you don your favorite green shirt on St. Patrick's Day. In Ireland, however, green is considered an unlucky color, and folklore says that people who wear too much of the color will be swiped up by the fairies. The exception, of course, is if it happens to be in the form of a shamrock.

Corn beef and cabbage is well-known staple on St. Patty's day, but did you know that if you plant the green vegetable on St. Patrick's Day that you are assured a better crop?

According to John Lennon's rendition of "Luck of the Irish," they have had anything but good luck. The song says . . . . . .

"If you had the luck of the Irish
You'd be sorry and wish you was dead
You should have the luck of the Irish
And you'd wish you was English instead!"

Good luck or bad, the Irish certainly have enough superstitions to go around.

References:

http://www.socyberty.com/Folklore/ 14-OffBeat-Food-Superstitions-and-Uses.42680
http://w ww.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACustom/Superstitions1 .html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/03 /0315_050315_stpatricksday.html
http://www.tippitiwit chet.co.uk/shamrock.html
http://www.oldielyrics.com/l yrics/john_lennon/the_luck_of_the_irish.html

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