Phone: 604-683-2554 | Email: welcome@gordonhouse.org
Saint Patricks Day – Lá Fhéile Pádraig
Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit! Happy St. Patricks Day!
Last year we shared information on the origins of this Irish holiday along with some suggestions for celebrating Irish culture with language, music, stories, hot whiskey and soda bread. You can check that out by clicking here. Keep reading for more information on Irish culture.
Irish Dancing
Irish dancing is a form of dancing that has been around for centuries. Our friends at Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House are partnering with De Danaan School of Irish Dance for a special Saint Patricks Day preformance. Click here for more information.
Irish dancing has evolved in many different ways over the years. Morgan Bullock is a talented American dancer who went viral on Tik Tok for her videos that combine traditional Irish dancing with modern hip-hop.
Riverdance is a relatively new form of Irish dancing that was debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994 when Ireland was the host country. It is considered one of the most successful dance productions of all time and still tours today.
Leprechauns
Leprechauns are Irelands most internationally famous mythology creatures. Due to their popularity they are often used in Irish tourism (for example at the Leprechaun Museum in Dublin) and many people associate them with Saint Patricks Day. In the U.S. they have made it big in advertising and even inspired a whole franchise of bad horror movies!
Nowadays leprechauns are most commonly depicted as mischievous short men with beards who dress in green and have hidden treasure at the end of a rainbow. Myths about leprechauns date back to medieval times and have evolved a lot over the years. Originally they dressed in red and worked as cobblers (fixing shoes).
There are many other mystical creature in Irish mythology including the Banshee. There are also many ancient legends. Check out this list and this list for a quick crash course in other Irish mythology creatures and Irish legends.
Bonus Holiday Crossover Fact
Did you know that you can visit Saint Valentine’s heart in Dublin?
