Maximus Leo

Just St Patrick's Day

Well today is St Patrick's Day and I'm no Irish man nor a god fearing Catholic either! So what does this day mean to non Irish people like us? I can't really answer this except that it's another opportunity to drink in an Irish Pub and to feel and soak the atmostphere of St Patrick's Day. And of course the fashion consort in me would like to wear Green!

Off course there are some meaningful colleagues who have ties to Ireland in some sort decided that by 5:30 today we had to leave the office to have drinks! The nearest Irish Pub is just 10 minutes away from us and that was no excuse for not stepping into the pub. After all it's a Friday! :-) And being St Patrick's day - Guinness was free from 6 pm (off course we had to pay for some drinks because we were so keen to get our ass to the pub). After having another expensive night on Thrusday I was in no mood to eat and drink further but because Guinness was free, I guess there was no excuse NOT to drink. So had 2 Guinness and by then, my body said noMORE - which was the most sanest thing to do!

We quickly finished up and walked back home. Stopped by at this Yakitori restaurant in Mita and had the most devine chicken meat balls, chicken with leeks and chicken wings! in Tokyo and yummy indeed....and it was an early Friday night for us for a long time.

On a more serious note - What does St Patrick means? Well, to summarise, St Patrick was the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who is credited with brining Christianity to Ireland. Saint Patrick is also most known for driving the snakes from Ireland. It is true there are no snakes in Ireland, but there probably never have been - the island was separated from the rest of the continent at the end of the Ice Age. As in many old pagan religions, serpent symbols were common and often worshipped. Driving the snakes from Ireland was probably symbolic of putting an end to that pagan practice. While not the first to bring christianity to Ireland, it is Patrick who is said to have encountered the Druids at Tara and abolished their pagan rites. The story holds that he converted the warrior chiefs and princes, baptizing them and thousands of their subjects in the "Holy Wells" that still bear this name.

Why St Patrick's Day?
St Patrick's Day has come to be associated with everything Irish: anything green and gold, shamrocks and luck. Most importantly, to those who celebrate its intended meaning, St. Patrick's Day is a traditional day for spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide.

So like another city in this world, there is no excuse not to celebrate St Patrick's day and I'll be attending a parade this Sunday :-) Just to feel the Irish atmosphere right in the heart of Tokyo!

posted by Maximus Leo @ 11:50 PM