Fun and festivities in Ireland - celebrations, festivals and cultural events

The most famous holiday of Ireland is St. Patrick's Day. It is celebrated every year on March 17 not only in Ireland but all over the world. St. Patrick is the heavenly patron of the country. Officially the day began to be celebrated only from the 18th century. However, the Irish worshiped this saint and held feasts in his honor in the 8-9th century. The main symbol of the holiday is a shamrock. On this day, the streets of Dublin are filled with green scenery, the water in the fountains is tinted in green, and city dwellers wear holiday suits with large green hats. As part of the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, there are musical and creative festivals, performances, competitions, grandiose processions, and parades. The festival ends with mass festivities with the local dark beer, Guinness.

Irish are descendants of the Celts. Therefore, despite religiousness and adherence to Christianity, some pagan holidays have preserved. One of them is Beltane celebrated on May 1. This holiday symbolizes the beginning of summer. The Celts worshiped the fertility god on this day. The tradition of breeding large fires in the hills, planting a bush of rowan in the garden near the house and decorating it in the manner of the New Year tree has survived to this day. Another amazing neo-pagan festival is celebrated on the day of the autumn equinox. Mabon is associated with harvesting. It was originally dedicated to mother earth. Over time, the holiday became a symbol of everything, which no longer exists. On this day, it is customary to remember the deceased women. Families on the Mabon go out for walks in the forest or for picnics. They collect leaves, branches, which are later used to decorate the house.

Ireland is home to one of the most popular holidays in the world - Halloween. The original Night of Horror was brought from the Irish and Scottish Celts, who believed that the spirits could come down from heaven to see the living one day. There are lots of traditions associated with Halloween. One of the symbols of the holiday is the Jack Lantern that is made of a pumpkin. Such lamps are installed near houses to drive evil spirits away. Children dress up in carnival costumes and go to their neighbors to beg for sweets. The most popular costumes are evil spirits, including zombies, witches, and vampires. According to the legend, children in such clothes will remain unrecognized and will be lost among the real evil. Special activities are arranged on this day. The main purpose is to frighten visitors as much as possible. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The next day after Halloween comes another Celtic festival, Samhain. Locals cook special horns of dough. As so, they try to appease the god of winter. The day was timed to the end of the harvesting. It was believed that those who break their promises on this day would die. So, the festival was alternatively called the day of the dead. People used to kindle fires and hop through them, believing that it would help to purify the souls and drive away evil spirits. On December 26, after Christmas, local residents celebrate St. Stephen's Day. That's a commemoration of a martyr's death. He was stoned after his refusal to abandon Christianity. Children on this day dress up in the chimney sweep, smear their faces with soot and go to the streets, where they sing different holiday songs. Passers-by and neighbors give them presents and sweets.

In addition to St. Patrick's Day, there are many other fascinating festivals in Ireland; many of them devoted to art. The Irish Language Week is dedicated to the maintenance of interest and language development among the local population, which is increasingly switching to English. Tralee in Kerry County annually hosts the festival of Rosa Tralee. Representatives of Irish diasporas from all over the world come to the city. They perform national songs and ballads, competing with each other. Only people of Irish origin are allowed to participate. However, everyone who wants to become a spectator of this grand celebration of Irish culture can take part. Galway, welcomes an oyster festival for more than 50 years. That's one of the best gastronomic festivals in the world.