Wednesday, March 19, 2008

The Wearin' o' the Green & Orange & Blue











This past week marked a fun celebration for my family. We celebrated St. Patrick's Day. I'm sure this holiday means different things to everyone. In our family, it has become a traditional celebration of our Irish heritage. We gather together to enjoy the yearly parade that takes place in Salt Lake City each year. Then we feast on the traditional corned beef and cabbage.

In 1800, my 5th great grandfather, Samuel Sibbett Sr., emigrated to America from his beloved Ireland. Grandpa Samuel was a bit of a rebel. He fought bravely against the English rule, becoming a leader during the Robert Emmet Rebellion. Samuel's political activities made him an enemy to the King of England, and his arrest was ordered. To avoid prison, Samuel sailed to America, where he established himself in a Scots-Irish community in Pennsylvannia.

We honor his memory, and others like him by commemorating St. Patrick's Day. We wear the traditional green color, which represents Gaelic tradition, and independence. It is also associated with the large population of Catholics who reside in Ireland.

We wear orange in honor of the Protestants. This color is symbolic of William of Orange who defeated the Irish Catholics during the 1600's during the Battle of the Boyne.

This year I learned that blue is yet another hue of Ireland---it is the traditional color depicting Irish pride. We saw all three colors during this year's parade. In place of poetry, essay, or novel snippets, I pasted in a few pictures that show some of the highlights. Erin go Braugh! (Ireland Forever!)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is cool, Cheri. Fun pictures, too! One of these days I'm going to make it to the parade.

Nancy Allen

Cheri J. Crane said...

Thanks Nancy. ;) I think you would enjoy the parade---especially if it's warmer than it was this year. We had a great time, but we froze a bit.

Shellie said...

Hurray for the Irish!

Cheri J. Crane said...

I agree, Shellie. ;)