Ahh, tis the national holiday of Ireland - St. Patrick's Day! This annual feast day honors one of the patron saints of the Emerald Isle - although modern day observances have made it less of a religious holiday and more a celebration of all things Irish.
Chief among Irish symbols (arguably) is the iconic shamrock (it's actually a registered trademark of the Irish Government). For word origin buffs - the diminutive version of the Irish word for "clover" "seamair", which was anglicized as "shamrock" - representing a close approximation of the original Irish pronunciation. The shamrock's three leaves are said to be primarily an Irish Christian symbol of the Holy Trinity and is not to be confused with the lucky four-leaf clover (who knew?!) When I was a kid, wearing green or having a clover pinned to shirt simply made the difference between a kiss or a pinch from your classmates on St. Patrick's Day (although these days I imagine either action could result in a sexual harassment suit.) Erin go bragh!
1. clover, 2. Rainy Day Clover II, 3. four-leaf clover on black, 4. Pressed Clover in a book of poems, 5. Dew Covered Clover, 6. Water clovers, 7. five-leaf clover !!, 8. Four-leaf clover // Will this one bring me luck?, 9. Clovers!, 10. White clover blossom, 11. Three Leaved Clover, 12. Clover in the Sky, Maria says, "Show Me the Money!", 13. clover, 14. I'm looking OVER a four-leaf CLOVER !, 15. White Clover, 16. good-bye four leaf clover, 17. Clover, 18. Clovers
Looking for a way to celebrate St. Pattie's with the kids without spending a mint, making a huge mess or consuming the entire day? The tireless crew over at Martha Stewart's have come up with the following:
Shamrock Boutonnieres. While the instructions have you crafting these from heavily starched fabric I think they would be equally sweet and probably less work to fashion them from scrap paper.
Grow Your Own Shamrocks. There's even a video demo with these instructions.
St. Patrick's Day Pins. Crafted from pipe cleaners and card stock - super easy.
Clover Cookies. Speed up this project by using tubes of ready made, cut and bake sugar cookies from the grocery store.