Jump to content

Menu

St. Patrick's Day Traditions


Recommended Posts

My boys are still into the leprechaun taunting thing, so our wee visitor loves coming and playing tricks at our house, which always ends in a tripped trap and an explosion of skittles (taste the rainbow, indeed!), and a few chocolate coins plus a couple of gold dollar coins tucked in for good measure! It's always fun watching the boys trying to figure out which is chocolate and which is real.

 

We also make Irish Soda Bread (which is a staple at our house anyway, but we make sure to have it this day), corned beef with mashed potatoes because we don't do the cabbage thing (not even colcannon), and we'd visit the local pub at lunch when it was a little 'safer' for the kids and we could enjoy the music, but they closed down about three months ago :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are also into leprechaun baiting - our 7 year old spends about a week designing and setting his traps, which he baits with gold (glitter) and Irish Soda Bread... The tricky leprechauns always spring the traps and get away, usually leaving behind tiny taunting notes, chocolate coins and some little goodies here and there.

 

Last year the little tricksters turned all of the water in the house green (color tablets inside the faucets - super easy), left a trail of shamrocks from room to room, and pulled out every book we have on fairy folk... apparently they spent some time reading the books, because they left a pile of Irish Soda Bread crumbs on the table in front of the open books. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We read about Saint Patrick and/or watch a Netflix movie of his life. There are several good ones. We like Patrick.

 

We pray for missionaries, and we have lamb stew or corned beef & cabbage.

 

In the past on St. Patrick's day, we've taken a look at the geography and history of Ireland, but the children are now very familiar with that and we don't spend too much time on it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We love Irish music and listen to it often throughout the year, but we make sure to listen to some on St. Patrick's Day.

 

This year, I checked out a children's book on St. Patrick, which I'll read on or before. Some years we read Irish folk tales.

 

If I'm cooking, I try to make something Irish. Corned beef and cabbage, or stew. DH cooks most of our meals, and he's not into cooking to match the holiday, so we're more likely to have tacos or something. :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Leprecaun's often come to visit and play tricks on us. I think this year the milk will be green and the dog will get something harmless done to him (maybe some green food dye stripes in his fur). I am sure there will be a lot more antics done by the twin leprecauns in this house...

 

We have cornbeef and cabbage for dinner. Not sure what else I will make. I am thinking about making soda bread.. but never have made it before so not sure yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We read books on St Patrick, wear green, eat Corned Beef and cabbage, make Irish soda bread and generally kick it up. Next weekend is the parade in town and we'll walk down to main street to enjoy that-I have two boyscouts marching, and I'm a tad Irish (my nana was 100%) so she'd be whacking me if we didn't do something. :D

 

And beer! Guinness. Or an Oatmeal Stout. mmmmm

 

Ohh cripes, I hadn't thought as to what the Leprechauns were going to do!

 

I think this year they'll put icing on wood blocks that look like cupcakes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Every year the boys build leprechaun traps our of Legos, empty boxes, assorted containers, whatnot. (Every year these get more elaborate, too. The planning and construction can consume a whole school day, which becomes known as "engineering class.":001_smile:)

 

Then, we bait the traps with chocolate coins and little shiny things from Lego sets and - voila - in the morning they have failed to catch a single leprechaun, the gold is gone, but there are treats left behind.

 

They know the leprechauns are pretend. I think. But hey, we are part Irish!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We read about Saint Patrick and/or watch a Netflix movie of his life. There are several good ones. We like Patrick.

 

We pray for missionaries, and we have lamb stew or corned beef & cabbage.

 

In the past on St. Patrick's day, we've taken a look at the geography and history of Ireland, but the children are now very familiar with that and we don't spend too much time on it.

 

 

I love this idea. I might just steal it :).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

They know the leprechauns are pretend. I think. But hey, we are part Irish!

What? :001_huh: You call yourself Irish and think the Little People are pretend! :glare: Say it isn't so.:D:D

 

 

In our house we have a leprechaun trap. Books, food, crafts. Just depends on what I feel up to the day prior to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Leprechauns wreak havoc at our house. Toilet water will be green, the milk looks white in the gallon, but turns green the second it hits glasses...They leave footprints all over our kitchen, as well as a mess. A couple of years they completely moved all the furniture so that our living room was our dining room and vice versa. They stream streamers all over the house and leave gold coins for the kids.

 

We love St. Patrick's Day around here. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My kids are working on the decorations. We'll have a shamrock wreath on our door soon, and they'll put an Ireland flag up too.

 

They'll set up their leprechaun traps the night before. Plotting how they'll create this year's has already begun!

 

After they're in bed hub and I will trip the traps, hide "gold," and see what leprechaunish tricks we can pull before we head to bed. This is nearly as fun as setting out the kewlest gifts on Christmas Eve. :001_smile:

 

On St. Patrick's Day we'll make corned beef, cabbage, mashed taters and GF soda bread. I have a Saint Patrick read aloud ready. We'll wear green of course. Bailey's for the adults after the kids retire.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Leprechauns wreak havoc at our house. Toilet water will be green, the milk looks white in the gallon, but turns green the second it hits glasses...They leave footprints all over our kitchen, as well as a mess. A couple of years they completely moved all the furniture so that our living room was our dining room and vice versa. They stream streamers all over the house and leave gold coins for the kids.

 

We love St. Patrick's Day around here. :)

 

 

Well, no wonder they are worn out by the time they get to my house. :tongue_smilie:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Home brew beer (both starting a batch and opening a batch)

Irish beef stew served in Irish soda bread bowls.

Watching Darby O'Gill and the little people

 

Oh yeah... Read about St Patrick. That's a given I didn't really think to mention. ;)

Edited by Martha
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have surprisingly few for an Irish family. My kids are vegetarian so just soda bread, cabbage and potatoes here. Usually the kids make some sort of green confection and mom drinks some Irish beer (as opposed to her normal Mexican kind). We listen to the Seal Maiden & wear green.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never paid a hoot of attention to St. Patrick's day my entire life....until.....March 17, 2001 the most wonderful thing happened to me! My daughter, ClaireAnna Marie, was born! So, now I wear green and all day on her birthday, DD10 wears a silly green light up cowboy hat and a green tshirt with a sequins 4 leaf clover on it! I'll never ignore St. Patrick's day again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Leprechauns wreak havoc at our house. Toilet water will be green, the milk looks white in the gallon, but turns green the second it hits glasses...They leave footprints all over our kitchen, as well as a mess. A couple of years they completely moved all the furniture so that our living room was our dining room and vice versa. They stream streamers all over the house and leave gold coins for the kids.

 

We love St. Patrick's Day around here. :)

Love it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We do the usual corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes. If I remember to buy the ingredients we make soda bread, and maybe some cupcakes. We must watch The Quiet Man and Darby O'Gill and the Little People. Oh, and it is the youngest dog's birthday, so they both get doggie ice cream.:001_smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alas, we have no traditions. Sometimes I bake my favorite Guinness gingerbread, if I think of it.

 

Dyngus Day, though? Look out! If you can't spend the better part of a Monday smacking people with pussy willows, what's the point? :001_smile:

 

I'm down for both St. Patrick's & Dyngus Day!

 

I had an Irish mom & a Polish Dad. Gimme a whiskey and a sausage!

 

For those about to polka, we salute you!:lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So many! I am Mexican American, but my daughters are half Irish.

 

Yesterday we made a leprechaun trap and cupcakes with shamrocks to lure the leprechauns.

 

At night, SO and I dyed the milk and toilet water (not mixed, lol) green, made pudding with green dye in the middle (when the girls mixed it, it was a leprechaun mystery), painted tempera shamrocks and a rainbow on the windows, and turned the dining room chairs on their sides.

 

I made corned beef in the slow cooker, and this year, instead of adding cabbage, I made colcannon. In the past I've made potato soup.

 

SO is on his way home with green carnations for the girls, and of course we all wear green.

 

Last, but definitely not least, we go out every year to celebrate.

 

P.S. We are Catholic ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shamrock Shakes from McDonalds.

 

HA!! That's about the extent of ours, too. I do love the Shamrock Shakes, though...

 

Our anniversary is today, and we're usually too broke to do anything. (After 11 years, you'd think we'd figure that out, huh???) But, DH and I were just talking about how we want to start some traditions with our kids, and get them more into our heritage, so I'm :bigear::lurk5:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...