As someone of what the old folks used to call "Scotch-Irish" descent, St. Paddy's has always been a big deal in my family. For years it was a grueling marathon of a day -- gig after gig after gig (usually in pubs that grew more and more rowdy as the day wore on) -- but these days it's more likely to be relatively quiet, spent with family or close friends. The SO will cook corned beef and
colcannon, maybe fix up a couple of Irish Mists...we'll listen to our favorite Irish bands and perhaps watch an Irish film (anything from
The Commitments -- if you've ever been in a band,
that is the film for you -- or something as nutty as
The Quiet Man).
Not everyone makes a big deal of cultural heritage and ancestry--and that's absolutely all right (why focus on the past when you're headed toward the future?) but in my family, we don't forget. ANYTHING. EVER. You remember those stories about the Scots dumping Campbell soup into the sea during World War 2 relief efforts? Yeah. Where I come from, that was considered the right move. :-D
Anyway, is there a holiday that is special to you or your family? How do you celebrate your family ancestry or cultural heritage?
OR do you?
Happy St. Patrick's Day!! Thanksgiving has always been the BIG holiday for me. I love Christmas, too, but there's something about being with loved ones - biological or not - gathered around a big Thanksgiving table, eating and drinking and laughing and loving, that warms my heart.
ReplyDeleteOf the "big" holidays, Thanksgiving is my favorite too. I think maybe because it's smaller, quieter and everyone isn't exhausted yet. ;-)
DeleteThe only holiday for which we had to eat anything special was New Year's Day, and that was cornbread and cabbage. It was supposed to mean good luck for the year. My grandmother made scalloped cabbage the same way as scalloped potatoes. Even now I try to at least eat some cole slaw that day. My grandmother was of English and German descent, but I don't know where the tradition came from. But she was quite insistent about it. Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!
ReplyDeleteAnd to you, Rachel!
DeleteI never heard that about the cornbread and cabbage on New Years. So interesting these little family traditions. :-)
What I love about my family is that, while my dad heard stories that he was Irish, he was never really sure. His mom was told the family was German. She had her grandchildren call her Oma. Now that I've done the genealogy, I find there's not a drop of German blood in the family. LOL. Crazy. It was due to a series of early deaths and step-parents coming into the picture that the family's heritage got lost. But...my great-grandfather was an Irish musician. He played the fiddle and every sort of wind instrument and his daughter sang. :) He died New Years Eve after finishing playing at a New Year's Eve party. Happy St. Patrick's Day to you and yours! May your day be full of fun and family!
ReplyDeleteOur family doesn't celebrate our varied heritage so much because we're a little bit of everything. We do have our annual Oscar Party, though. What started out as an insider joke has become a time-honored tradition. With the exception of Thanksgiving, it's our biggest family gathering of the year. Generations sit, talk, laugh, eat and drink the night away. It has become so family-centered and festive that we sometimes forget to pay attention to which movies win the prize.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad to say, but my family is not a very celebrating bunch. The biggest part of our family are self- employed and / or are working at unfriendly hours. When I have been with friends, I was always sad, what our family is missing.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn my family its tradition to play poker At Christmas (starting from your Halloween)and since we are a big family (being Greek) we have tournaments and New Years is the highlight. As for cultural traditions we have plenty and in my family it's important to pass them on the younger generation.
DeletePersonally, Easter is my favorite holiday. We cook a whole lamb, stuffed with rice (called mououri where I come from) and we spend the day drinking , eating and dancing.