Anonymous wrote:We always eat corned beef and cabbage, which my Irish friends tell me accrual Irish people don't do at all
Anonymous wrote:I’m 1/2 Irish, 3rd generation. TBH, my Irish family never celebrated any of this, but they were part of generations that wanted to blend in and not stick out as immigrants. There used to be some shame around Irish immigrants.
When my kids were young, we did leprechaun traps because the school did.
I honestly find dying milk or toilets green to be more about posting on Insta than anything else. Over the top, look at me vibe. And a total waste.
Anonymous wrote:
I lived my childhood in Scotland, and no one celebrated St Patrick’s Day. Why would I celebrate from even further away?
Anonymous wrote:I’m a 54 yo woman with no Irish heritage. My understanding was that “everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s day”. As a child we always celebrated by wearing green and pinching those who didn’t. Sometimes we might watch a movie like The Quiet Man, Darby O’Gill and the Little People or Finian’s Rainbow. There were lots of leprechaun and shamrock decorations at businesses and schools. As times changed, the pinching stopped, but we still wore green. When I found Irish soda bread in stores that was added to our family’s festivities.
Messes were never part of the celebration. That sounds like the same kind of folderol as Elf on the Shelf and neighborhood “booing” where people are pressured into going to a lot of trouble because someone bored invented a custom. I’m grateful that I’m old enough that these practices weren’t established when my now grown children were still kids.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Messes?? Is this a new fad like the elf on the shelf?
My kids are of half Irish descent, but we learned about most of this when they were in elementary school. The leprechaun used to come into the classroom and mess it all up and the kids thought it was great. So I started doing some of it at home - green milk, green water in the Brita, green water in the toilet, a mess in the living room (pillows on the floor, etc). It was always fun to see the kids' reactions when they woke up.
OK, so yes, a Pinterest fad.
Anonymous wrote:Irish American here who grew up in a pretty Irish American area. We didn’t have any of this leprechaun stuff, we celebrated by spending time with family, probably listening to a bit more trad music than usual and making soda bread.
I don’t think the leprechaun stuff has anything to do with actual Irish Americans. It’s just a trend that got started at some point. I find it super annoying adding all these additional things a parent has to do for every dang holiday.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Messes?? Is this a new fad like the elf on the shelf?
My kids are of half Irish descent, but we learned about most of this when they were in elementary school. The leprechaun used to come into the classroom and mess it all up and the kids thought it was great. So I started doing some of it at home - green milk, green water in the Brita, green water in the toilet, a mess in the living room (pillows on the floor, etc). It was always fun to see the kids' reactions when they woke up.