Nico時尚媽咪樂活誌

美國人很愛過節日，商人更是。即便不想穿的很Green，不想去Parade，不想去Pub...，只要出去晃晃，一定會感受到一絲絲Saint Patrick’s Day的節慶氣息，像是Supermarket也會佈置的很Saint Patrick’s Day，並推出應景的Saint Patrick’s Day Cup Cake。

關於Saint Patrick’s Day (聖派翠克節) 的由來結合傳說跟歷史，Nico在網路上閱讀了一些相關文章，現在把大家整理一下。

Who is St. Patrick

St. Patrick出生於西元四世紀的威爾斯(Wales)，16歲時被土匪抓去賣了當奴隸，在當奴隸的這段時期，他覺得與神更加貼近，六年後逃到蘇格蘭，在 修道院跟隨St. Germain學習，後來回到愛爾蘭從事宣教的工作，幫助異教徒皈依基督教，也在愛爾蘭各地建立了許多修道院、教會和學校，將愛爾蘭逐漸轉變成一個基督教 國家。St. Patrick在西元461年的3月17日去世，從那天開始，愛爾蘭人便開始慶祝St. Patrick's Day，以追念他的事蹟。

St. Patrick生前有許多事蹟被大眾廣為流傳，包括他曾讓人死而復生，在山丘上傳道而將愛爾蘭島上所有的蛇都驅逐入海，最重要的還有他藉用三葉酢槳草 (Shamrock)來闡述「神、耶穌、聖靈」三位一體（Holy Trinity）的教義，也因此三葉酢槳草成為St. Patrick's Day的象徵。

在這天到處都是一片綠，除了紀念聖派翠克，要配帶綠色的三葉酢槳草，還有愛爾蘭傳說如果身著綠衣綠帽，會吸引來看守金子的小妖精Leprechaun。

St. Patrick's Day in US

美國St. Patrick's Day的慶典習俗是在1737年由早期的愛爾蘭移民所帶入，第一次公共慶典在波士頓(Boston)舉行。當時有很多派往美洲新大陸的士兵以愛爾蘭裔為大宗，所以每年到了今天就會以軍隊行進的方式來紀念祖國的節日。

美國早期愛爾蘭移民並不多，且深受英國新教徒移民的排擠，直到19世紀，在1846到1850年這段時間，愛爾蘭因為天氣惡劣，馬鈴薯歉收，發生大饑荒，開始向美國大量移民，當1848年淘金熱時，愛爾蘭人更大批西遷，成為舊金山多元文化中的重要份子。愛裔美人在這天以綠色及酢漿草形狀為服飾，參加遊行、舉辦餐會、上教堂。甚至芝加哥河都用安全的染劑把它染成綠色，Nico自己親眼看過，真是酷斃了。

即便是現今的Irish移民還是以Boston為主要聚集地，不知道大家有沒有看過有由2010年由Ben Afflech艾佛列克（小班）自導自演的『The Town』中譯竊盜城？竊盜城是真有其城，叫作Charlestown就為在麻州Boston的北邊，有許多的愛爾蘭移民，電影中的那些竊賊也是設定為愛爾蘭裔。大家也不要誤以為愛爾蘭裔都是藍領階級為主，現代美國歷史上的歷任總統，大多具有愛爾蘭血統，包含歐巴馬，布希，柯林頓及甘迺迪家族等。（Revised Source:http://www.english.com.tw/modules/sections/index.php?op=viewarticle&artid=7)

St. Patrick’s Day in Orange County, CA

在Orange County的St. Patrick’s Day也有許多有趣的活動，大部份都非常的Family-Friendly，Nico在這邊把自己有興趣的列出來跟大家分享，如果你剛好會在OC，可以順道去玩玩歐！

1. Pretend City St. Patrick’s Day Celebration

Wear green to celebrate the luck of the Irish at Pretend City. Activities will include Leprechaun games, end of the rainbow treasure hunt and more from 10am to 3pm. Activities included in price of admission. Please enjoy this 2 for 1 discount coupon.

2. St. Paddy’s Day Pilgrimage

O’Neill Regional Park
30892 Trabuco Canyon Road in Trabuco Canyon

Enjoy a ranger guided 2- mile hike while learning about the history of St. Patrick’s Day and the Irish heritage of O’Neill Park. There is a $5 parking fee for the free event from 10am to 11am. Wear closed toed shoes and meet the rangers at the Nature Center for the hike.

3. OC Marketplace St. Patrick’s Day Celebration & Green Festival

88 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa

Irish music will fill the air around the OC Marketplace on St. Patrick’s Day from 10am to 4pm. There will be eco-friendly vendors, educational presentations, food trucks, live entertainment and more. Admission is $2 per person with children under the age of 12 are free.

4. Leprechaun Loop Hike

Irvine Regional Park
1 Irvine Park Road in Orange

Find gold at the end of the rainbow at Irvine Park. There will be a guided hike starting at Parking lot #7 from 10am to 11am. The event is free to the public except for the $5 parking fee.

5. Shamrocker Festival

http://shamrocker.eventbrite.com/

Kaleidoscope Mission Viejo

27741 Crown Valley Pkwy, Mission Viejo, California 92691

Come on March 16th from 12pm to 8pm to benefit the Fallen Fire Fighter Relief Fund. There will be live musical performances from The Humble Hooligans, The McKintree Boys, The Bricktop Blaggers and The Derby Band. Tickets are $25 for adults, $9 for children (ticket prices go up $5 the day of the event.)

6. Free Admission to the OC Zoo
1 Irvine Park Road in Orange

The OC Zoo is encouraging families to go green on St. Patrick’s Day by offering free admission with the donation of an empty cardboard box from 10am to 4:30pm. The boxes will be used as toys for the animals living in the zoo. There will be various themed crafts for children to participate in throughout the zoo. Parking is $5 and the zoo is located inside of Irvine Regional Park.

7. Irish Traditions
Bowers Museum
2002 N Main Street in Santa Ana

Come to the Bowers Museum on St. Patrick’s Day to learn about Irish Traditions. Wear green to this cultural event recommended for children ages 2-8 years old. The event is $6 per person and free for children under the age of 2.
1:30 PM – 3 PM