Erin Go Bragh: 4 Saint Patrick’s Day Activity Ideas

Tuesday, 3/9/2010

Image Flickr/F_Shields

On March 17th, everyone is Irish for a day. Saint Patrick’s Day, once a religious holiday in Ireland, has become a mainstream celebration of all things Irish.

Parades, Irish soda bread, corned beef, leprechauns and shamrocks are all part of the fun – but how did Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations begin?

Saint Patrick, The Man

To find the holiday’s roots, you have to go back to Saint Patrick himself, a young Brit who was kidnapped in the 5th century A.D. by Irish Slave Traders. He was enslaved and brought to Ireland to tend sheep. Years later, after seeing a vision from God, he escaped back to Britain where he was ordained. After a second vision from God, he returned to Ireland to build churches, monasteries and schools, and convert Pagans to Christianity. The Shamrock became associated with Saint Patrick because it is said he used its three leaf structure to explain the Trinity.

Watch this cute Academy Award-nominated video from Give Up Yer Aul Sins below to get a bit more of Saint Patrick’s history:

Saint Patrick’s Day, The Celebration

Irish Catholics had been celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day for centuries in Ireland. When the Potato Famine struck in 1845, Irish Catholics brought Saint Patrick’s Day with them to the US and beyond. Today we celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day worldwide as a celebration of Irish Culture and Heritage.

Celebrate the luck of the Irish with these fun activities:

• Leprechaun Trap, Family Fun: Every year, little leprechauns get more and more mischievous. Try to catch them red-handed with a homemade leprechaun trap. Family Fun has step-by-step ideas for three traps here, but encourage kids to create their own. Remember these fun tips:

• • Leprechauns are attracted to gold and treasure. Entice them towards your trap with gold and glittery materials.
  • Leprechauns are attracted to places that they are not supposed to be. Create “warning” signs around your trap, luring them towards it.
  • Leprechauns have huge egos. They will be attracted to items that celebrate them, like green shamrocks.
  • Submit a photo of your leprechaun trap to info@walden.com and we will include it in our leprechaun trap Flickr gallery on this blog post.

• Green Potato Stamp, Family Fun: Celebrate the Irish tradition by making a stamp out of a potato. Use cookie cutters to create your favorite Irish images, like a Shamrock.

• Leprechaun Hat for Chips, Kaboose.com: Create this adorable leprechaun hat that holds chips or dip. Fill the hat with green-tinted tortilla chips, or add green food coloring to your favorite dip for a festive snack.

• Irish Soda Bread, Epicurious.com: This traditional Irish loaf is easy to make. Bring kids into the kitchen to help with create this tasty treat. Also try substituting in whole wheat flour for the white flour to create a “traditional brown” soda bread.

Want More? Visit The History Channel for videos about the history of leprechauns, Saint Patrick’s Day symbols and much much more.

Erin Go Bragh!

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