I guess with all the adults getting ready for St. Patrick’s Day, their enthusiasm naturally ran over into most children as well. Back in the early 1960’s, Income Tax day arrived on March 15 (which many adults referred to the “Ides of March”….but that’s a different story altogether!), so I suppose it would be fitting to celebrate having the “deed” over, by celebrating the Roman Catholic Patron Saint of ridding Ireland of all the snakes, on his birthday! It seems very fitting now that I consider it as an adult!

Getting dressed to go to school for St. Patrick’s day (or St. Paddy’s Day, as w liked to shorten it up) was very important and mostly for one reason….to avoid being pinched by everyone who could get close to you to do so! There was some strange tradition that was attached to March 17, and that was/is if you weren’t wearing green, then you needed to be pinched! Sometimes this could happen from many individuals who seem to take delight in inflicting pain. The other “faction” were the Italian-Americans (hhhmm….does this mean we were Irish-Americans or just plain “Irish”?) who were wearing Orange AND Green….so you couldn’t pinch them anyway.

So, the first thing you did when you got on the bus was to check out who was wearing green and who wasn’t. You just knew those kids who didn’t wear green were going to get the biggest black and blue marks by the end of the day! Years later, when I reflect upon St. Patrick’s day, it’s always amazing to me just how many Irish people there are in New York and for that matter, around the United States! In direct opposition to when the Irish first arrived on America’s shores, it’s now  “cool” to be Irish….even if it is only for one day!

Erin Go Braugh! Happy St. Patrick’s Day and first day of Spring to everyone.