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| St. Patrick's Day |
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| Kathy |
| 03/12/03 at 09:47:23 |
| [slm] Just a FYI. I was going to stop posting the celebrations and holidays of my culture. However, the other day a Muslim kiddie was so happy and excited. I asked her why and she told me all about her family celebrating Mardi Gra. So I am posting this stuff to educate those that do not know and will be parents one day. [code]St. Patrick's Day St. Patrick's Day, the traditional Irish holiday celebrated yearly and worldwide (wherever there are Irish) on March 17th. Origins of Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day has come to be associated with everything Irish: anything green and gold, shamrocks and luck. Most importantly, to those who celebrate its intended meaning, St. Patrick's Day is a traditional day for spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide. The Irish are descendants of the ancient Celts, but the Vikings, Normans and English contributed to the ethnic nature of the people. Centuries of English rule largely eliminated the use of the ancient Gaelic, or Irish, language. Most Irish are either Catholics or Protestants (Anglicans, members of the Church of England). Who was Saint Patrick? Important historical figures are frequently shadowed by the myths and legends attributed to them over the course of centuries, and St. Patrick is no exception. He is believed to have been born in the late fourth century, . According to Encyclopedia Britannica, St. Patrick was the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. Most of what is known about him comes from his two works, the Confessio, a spiritual autobiography, and his Epistola, a denunciation of British mistreatment of Irish Christians. Saint Patrick described himself as a "most humble-minded man, pouring forth a continuous paean of thanks to his Maker for having chosen him as the instrument whereby multitudes who had worshiped idols and unclean things had become the people of God." Saint Patrick is most known for driving the snakes from Ireland. While it is true there are no snakes in Ireland, there probably never have been -- the island was separated from the rest of the continent at the end of the Ice Age. As in many old pagan religions, serpent symbols were common and often worshiped. Driving the snakes from Ireland was probably symbolic of putting an end to that pagan practice. While not the first to bring Christianity to Ireland, it was Patrick who encountered the Druids at Tara and abolished their pagan rites. He converted the warrior chiefs and princes, baptizing them and thousands of their subjects in the Holy Wells which still bear that name. There are several accounts of St. Patrick's death. One says that St. Patrick died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, on March 17, 460 A.D. His jawbone was preserved in a silver shrine and was often requested in times of childbirth, epileptic fits, and as a preservative against the evil eye. Another account says that St. Patrick ended his days at Glastonbury, England and was buried there. The Chapel of St. Patrick still exists as part of Glastonbury Abbey. The Legend of the Shamrock According to Encyclopedia Britannica, a shamrock is "any of several similar-appearing trifoliate plants (plants whose leaves are divided into three leaflets). Common shamrocks include the wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) of the family Oxalidaceae, or any of various plants of the pea family (Fabaceae), including white clover (Trifolium repens) and suckling clover (T. dubium)." According to Irish legend, St. Patrick chose the shamrock as a symbol of the church's Holy Trinity because of its three leaflets bound by a common stalk. Wood sorrel is shipped in large quantities from Ireland to other countries for St. Patrick's Day. The Legend of the Blarney Stone Just northwest of the Irish village of Cork is the village of Blarney. The name Blarney is derived from the Irish An blarna, "the plain." Blarney is home to the 90-foot-tall Blarney Castle. The castle visited today is the third one built at the site, and was erected in 1446. Built on a rock, above several caves, the tower originally had three stories. On the top story, just below the battlements on the parapet, is the world famous Blarney Stone. While its origins are unknown, the Blarney Stone is said to give the gift of eloquence (beautiful speaking ability) to all who kiss it. Today, "Blarney" means "the ability to influence and coax with fair words and soft speech without offending." Kissing the stone is quite a physical feat. You have to sit with your back to the stone, and a local guide or friend sits on your legs or firmly holds your feet. Then you lean back and down into the darkness between the castle's 18-foot-thick walls and, grasping the iron rails, lower yourself until your head is even with the stone to be kissed. One local legend claims that an old woman, saved from drowning by a king of Munster, rewarded him with a spell that if he would kiss a stone on the castle's top, he would gain a speech that would win all to him. It is not known, however, when and how the word Blarney entered the English language and the dictionary. So, why is it celebrated on March 17th? One theory is that that is the day that St. Patrick died. Since the holiday began in Ireland, it is believed that as the Irish immigrated around the world, they took with them their history and celebrations. The biggest observance of all is, of course, in Ireland. With the exception of restaurants and pubs, almost all businesses close on March 17th. Being a religious holiday as well, many Irish attend mass, where March 17th is the traditional day for offering prayers for missionaries worldwide before the serious celebrating begins. http://stpatrick.local.ie/history/religions.html Year 2001 Islam originated in the Middle East in the 7th Century. The first Muslim organisation in Ireland (The Dublin Islamic Society) was formed in 1959 by Muslim students from South Africa and Malaysia. The Muslim community in Ireland is multi-racial and multi-cultural, comprising Asian, Middle Eastern, European and Irish adherents. Numbering 11,000 (6,000 of whom reside in Dublin), Muslims now make up the third largest denomination in the Republic after Roman Catholics and the Church of Ireland. There is no national leader in Ireland although each mosque has a religious leader (imam). [/code] |
| Re: St. Patrick's Day |
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| bhaloo |
| 03/13/03 at 01:37:24 |
| [slm] I think its very difficult on children in schools to deal with the non-Muslim hollidays. |
| Re: St. Patrick's Day |
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| Fahad |
| 03/13/03 at 02:25:34 |
| [slm] [quote]The Irish are descendants of the ancient Celts[/quote] so thats where the boston celtics got their name... :) |
| 03/13/03 at 02:26:12 |
| Fahad |
| Re: St. Patrick's Day |
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| Al-Basha |
| 03/13/03 at 04:17:45 |
| [slm] This is sorta off topic but Has anyone been pinched for not wearing green that day? I used to get pinched a lot back in grade school :( Oh and one time my dad and I went to a coffee shop to meet his buddy, and we were crossing the street and this 70 yr old lady walkin with her husband walked right up to my dad and pinched him. :o His buddy yelled out "hey lady whaddya think you're doin?" and my dad was like "I don't even know her!". Some people are just weird. |
| Re: St. Patrick's Day |
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| Kathy |
| 03/13/03 at 08:57:52 |
| [quote author=bhaloo link=board=bebzi;num=1047480443;start=0#1 date=03/13/03 at 01:37:24]I think its very difficult on children in schools to deal with the non-Muslim hollidays. [/quote] [wlm] You are so right! I see a different trend now. Ten years ago the Muslim parents were doing all they could to help their children avoid the holidays. Now, it seems as if they don't care so much and it isn't a big deal. They too, are allowing their kids to participate. Is it a problem with apathy? or lack of knowledge? Or just a deadening of the senses? Like St. Patricks day... the teachers will tell all the kids to wear green that day. Parents will say ok why not, Society will say hey it is just a day to celebrate being Irish. What many do not know, especially Muslims that it is a holy day celebrating honoring missionary work! So by the Muslim kiddies wearing green, they are supporting this... Hence why I post these articles, because I too, did not see the harm...Alhumdullillah, it is those subliminal messages that open our eyes! |
| Re: St. Patrick's Day |
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| M.F. |
| 03/19/03 at 08:24:25 |
| [quote author=Kathy link=board=bebzi;num=1047480443;start=0#4 date=03/13/03 at 08:57:52] [wlm] Is it a problem with apathy? or lack of knowledge? Or just a deadening of the senses? [/quote] I think it's all of the above, but I also think it's because some parents dont want their kids to feel left out, and they may believe that they're actually doing good, not wanting their kids to blame "Islam" for missing out on all the fun, you see what I'm saying? Like maybe they think that things like holidays are just little things (although with a little knowledge they'd see that there's always more to them than meets the eye) and think that if they focus on little things and not the big picture then their kids will reject Islam altogether. Except it's the little things that make up the big picture... |
| Re: St. Patrick's Day |
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| Halima |
| 03/19/03 at 08:49:53 |
| Yes, Sis M.F. It is the little things that become big things and make the big picture. When my children started nursery school (at different stages because of their age gap) the teachers told them to close the eyes so that they can pray, in the morning, at breakfast and at lunch time. Well, children being children and very honest when they are very young, they told me these when I asked about their day in school. So I went to the school and told the teachers to excuse my children from this prayers because we are Muslims and do not appreciate it. The teachers respected my request. This happened again when they joined kingdergarten and then primary school. Each time I went directly to the headteacher and all relevant teachers and told them not to include my children in anything Christian, prayers or otherwise. My requests were heeded. All that is required is to be vigilant. Children here do not feel left out. They just know the differences in religions and hence will listen to their parents especially when they are constantly advised wisely and kindly. Here, we have religious education in the school curriculum and where possible, Muslim children are taught Islamic Religious Education (IRE) for their exams by Muslim teachers if there are any at that particular school. Negligence by parents in guiding children to the right path is one of the things Allah will hold parents accountable for. May we all try our best, INSHA-ALLAH. [wlm] Halima |
| Re: St. Patrick's Day |
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| Kathy |
| 03/19/03 at 08:54:06 |
| [wlm] I sure understand what you are saying. The other day I had a discussion with a cab driver. I was on my way to a board meeting of a school and the driver mentioned that his daughter was a student there. He was Muslim (who is married to a Christian woman) and was upset that his daughter brought home a colored picture of a turkey. Although holidays are not celebrated in this type of public school, shamrocks, turkeys, hearts, etc... filter in. To me as a Board member, he was expressing his displeasure that his child was exposed to "the turkey." I asked him if he followed the proper channels to report this and he replied yes, however, his wife saw nothing wrong with it and allowed it. [i](remember this for those of you who want to marry a non-Muslim)[/i] Must admit I was wondering how the family advocate handled that situation, with parents disagreeing, ([i]did she tell the teacher to allow/ or not allow?[/i])! I mentioned to him that we have to be very careful at this tender age of children. Islam becomes a religion of "No's." Children see the lights, decorations, and all the trappings and do they desperately want to be a part of it?.. or a part of the party and friends? As Muslim parents, we must address these issues, as the children are way to young to understand the true meanings of these holidays. All they know is that "here we go again...another thing I can't do because I am Muslim." As you can imagine, the cab driver go pretty irritated with me and my revert way of thinking. However, whether I am right or not.. it is an issue we must deal head on with. We do not want Islam to be a religion of "No's" to our children. There are different ways of looking at things. For example, in the past when I had Ali wear a green shirt to school on St. Patricks day, it was no big deal. He had no idea what the holiday was about or its religious significance. However, the next day I would feel like I compromised myself, by letting him, and a twinge of guilt would flood me. Fasting teaches us to get thru the day, no matter how fun, close or tempting the food is. So I slap myself for not being able to ignore a holiday and getting thru that day. Ha ha the amazing thing is... one St. Patricks day I went in to volunteer. Many children were not wearing green... but my Muslim Kid was.... not so funny after all.... [i]I get some comments from people wondering why I share my faults and personal stuff.. Insha Allah, it is so that you know you are not alone and we are all struggling.... yes... I know about being in a cab, alone.....still working on it..[/i] |
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