Tuesday, March 17, 2009

ST. PATRICK'S DAY AND SPRING

This week we celebrated St. Patrick's Day and Happy Spring! According to legend St. Patrick used the shamrock, a three leaved plant to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish. Green is the colour most widely associated with Ireland and with St. Patrick's Day and the wearing of green has gained the meaning of wearing a shamrock on one's clothing.

St. Patrick's Day is an annual festival which celebrates Saint Patrick (circa AD 285-261) the patron saint of Ireland. The day is now a national holiday in Ireland and a bank holiday in Northern Ireland. In Canada, Great Britain, Australia, the United States and New Zealand, it is also widely celebrated!

The shamrock which was also called the "seamroy" by the Celts, was a very sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring.


My family background is of Scottish heritage and my husband's is Irish and I feel any celebration is an opportunity to celebrate diversity, unity, the power of one and life!

I love to dance and I grew up taking lessons on different forms of dancing. I enrolled at the National Ballet School of Dance in Toronto; I took classes with the Modern Dance Group and loved the grounding of dancing in bare feet and the sound of drums. I took jazz and tap as a little girl and continued this in my 20's! My main dance training was founded in Highland Dancing and I went on to achieve my Highland Dancing Teacher's certification. We were also taught Irish Dancing and the Irish Jig. We would put shows on for different organizations, events and senior homes. It was always fun and we nibbled on great food afterwards. Sometimes we received $10.00 each, which was great! Here is a picture of a person kicking his heels, in celebration of St. Patrick's Day!



I couldn't post me performing Irish Dancing, so I wanted to share with you these brilliant dancers! I have had the honor of attending one of these events and I could watch them perform all day! So, here is Michael Flatly, their Lord of the Dance, with his great dancing troupe and all I can say is WOW, BRILLIANT, AWESOME and I LOVED EVERY MOMENT OF THE SHOW!




Wishing you the luck of the Irish every day and Happy Spring!

Live the Passion!

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