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Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day Without The Parade

By: Dandy Designs

St. Patrick’s Day, a celebration of Irish culture and of one of Ireland’s patron saints, would have been celebrated with a parade followed by a family day on March 17, 2016. Sadly, due to debt incurred in 2014 after heavy rains affected fundraising efforts, organizers are not able to fund the celebration for this year. Although the 2015 parade pushed through with the help of the Irish government and the Irish community in Sydney, the 2014 debt would still need to be paid off. The annual parade, which is the 4^th largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration in the world, would have to wait until 2017. Nonetheless, there are other ways that St. Patrick’s Day can be celebrated and observed. Here are a few:

1. Many businesses and organizations organize their own breakfast and lunch celebrations to enjoy Irish food and drinks. Irish pubs are known to hold special St. Patrick’s Day evening parties, complete with local bands playing Irish music and people drinking green beverages.
2. People wear a lot of green on St. Patrick’s Day. Wearing the color green dates back to 1798, when it was the color of the Republican Revolutionary movement and was a sign of rebellion. Back in the day, wearing green was punishable by hanging. These days, people bring out their fun side by wearing not just green outfits but green wigs as well on St. Patrick’s Day.
3. Popular accessories during St. Patrick’s Day are brooches, pendants, or button badges with a shamrock design, Ireland’s national emblem. Shamrock, not to be confused with four-leaf clovers, is a sprig of clover. Legend has it that St. Patrick used it to show the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The shamrock is considered by Irish as good luck, long before other nationalities followed suit.
4. Another popular way Australians celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is by dressing up like leprechauns. Leprechauns are short Irish fairies usually dressed like shoemakers. According to legend, leprechauns have a hidden pot of gold, and to get the gold, the leprechaun’s captor must never take his eyes off him. Leprechauns with their pot of gold, usually depicted with a shamrock, are also common designs for clothing accessories on St. Patrick’s Day.
5. The harp, which was adopted as the symbol or the New Kingdom of Ireland in 1541, is also Ireland’s national emblem, albeit less popular than the shamrock. These days, the harp is found not just on Ireland’s coat of arms, but also in St. Patrick’s Day gatherings where it is sometimes played.

The celebration would not be the same in Sydney this year, but it may bring some comfort knowing that other parts of Australia will still commemorate St. Patrick’s Day as scheduled. For those affected by the parade and family day’s cancelation, you can still take to the streets in your green outfits and wigs and still celebrate the event. To remain true to the character of St. Patrick’s Day, you can have shamrock button badges created for the event. Some people who look forward to this event may feel a little gloomy on March 17, and giving them a little luck could help brighten their day. Contact Dandy for your custom St. Patrick’s Day button badges today!