St. Patrick's Day Candy
My favorite candy for Saint Patrick's Day
It is easy to forget that St. Patrick's Day is a religious holiday commemorating Ireland's first bishop. Today it has evolved into a celebration of Irish culture. The day is celebrated with wearing of green attire, shamrock pins, scarves, ties, etc. Traditional Irish food is consumed along with green beer.
St. Patrick's Day themed candy is another one of those traditions we would rather not do without. Let's take a look at the most popular ones.
Irish Culture
St. Patrick's Day is the day the Irish celebrate St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
The color green, often associated with Ireland, is actually the catholic color as opposed to the protestant orange. It is said that the color green comes from the shamrock St. Patrick used to illustrate the Trinity in Christianity.
Another explanation is that Ireland is actually very green. With ample rainfall and relatively mild temperate climate, vegetation is lush and green most of the year earning it the title "Emerald Isle."
St. Patrick's Day is family day, a day when families and friends get together to share a meal and drinks. Most people know that large quantities of corned beef and cabbage are consumed and washed down with equally generous amounts of beer. However, many other dishes are served.
It is also a day to celebrate outside the home with traditional Irish music and dance.
The Paradoxes of St. Patrick's Day
There are at least a few paradoxes involved in the celebration of this day. For example, we normally celebrate the day of someone's birth, e.g. Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King Jr. or George Washington, but not St. Patrick. St. Patrick's Day celebrates his death, not his birth, in the fifth century.
Not only is it a decidedly Catholic celebration, it also falls during the equally Catholic season of Lent. Celebrations often take the form of wild excesses while Lent traditionally is a season of fasting, penance and self-denial.
Irish Potato Candy
Another paradox, potato candy does not contain potatoes.
St. Patrick's Day celebrations have spread to most of the world where new traditions have developed. The Irish Potato Candy tradition probably originated among Irish immigrants in the US following the potato famine in the 1840s.
St. Patrick's Day Candy
Green candy? By now it should be no surprise that there's a green version of most kinds of candy. There is a green version of just about everything else on St. Patrick's Day, so why not candy?
Whether you're celebrating at home with friends and family or in the town square with thousands of neighbors, there is always room for more candy.
