Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Wearin' Of The Green Table


This is my first St. Patrick's Day
tablescape.

Of course as kids we always wore green on
St. Patrick's Day, but I remember it being
a day when my parents had a little bit of 
fun arguing over having Irish blood or not.
My father always wore green and my mother
said she didn't have any Irish in her-
she had English - so she
wore orange (or at least she threatened to!)



So along with all of this familial confusion
I didn't even know (or remember from grade school)
why we wear green and the symbolism of
the cloverleaf.


So I decided to look it up on
wonderful Wikipedia 
and found out that St. Patrick's Feast Day
was made official in the 17th Century 
to honor St. Patrick, the most commonly
recognized saint of Ireland.

It celebrates St. Patrick and the arrival of
Christianity in Ireland.  St. Patrick lived
from 385-461 AD.  
Christians also lifted Lenten restrictions
on eating and drinking and that is why
it has become associated with the
consumption of alcohol.
(Needless to say, we won't be imbibing any!)


I found this cute sash at Target and
although I have done a lot of geneology
and haven't found any Irish in my lines,
I like to think my father thought he was - 
he wasn't - he was half German, a quarter
Swedish and a quarter Norwegian, 
but on his behalf, I am going to claim
"a wee bit".


The shamrock became associated with
the celebration of St. Patrick's Day
because it is said that he used the
shamrock's three leaves to teach
about the nature of the Godhead,
 the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
The wearing and displaying of shamrocks
has become associated with the celebration
of the day.

(Who knew you could learn so much
from creating a tablescape?)



Of course, we kids just loved the pinching!
And guess what?  Wiki answers says that kids
started that tradition - of course!

Orange was the color of protest - but we
aren't protesting at this table.

Originally the color associated with St. Patrick's
Day was blue, but that started to change
in the 17th century.


Since most holidays celebrated
at 
Purple Chocolat Home
are geared towards the wee ones,
there has to be plenty of green candy
on the table.  

(They regularly raid my tables for candy!)


And we better make mint flavored
Shamrock Shakes to serve my 
little leprechauns.
(Did you know that wearing green is
supposed to make you invisible to leprechauns and
that leprechauns are associated with 
St. Patrick's Day because of the Irish belief in
fairies and the like?)


Green and white are the colors 
of our St. Patrick's Day Feast so that
we are official in our celebration.




We often ate corned beef and cabbage
for St. Patrick's Day, but I found out that
although cabbage was a part of the diet
of native Irishmen, corned beef was added 
around the turn of the century, because Irish bacon
was too expensive for Irish immigrants and 
they learned about a less expensive cut of meat
from their Jewish neighbors.
(Didn't know that one either!!)
(That one was from history.com.)


So we have a beautiful cabbage
as part of our centerpiece.


(with very non-Irish script!)


Whether I am Irish or not,
I am going to have a little fun
with St. Patrick's Day and now
I am going to enjoy it even more.


I will be posting this with





Jacqueline
Jacqueline

Chocolat - French for Chocolate. I adored chocolate from a young age when I had to sneak in the cupboard to find where my mother had hidden the Nestle's Chocolate Chips. Having read about the famous chocolat shoppes in Paris, when I finally got there I was determined to try a chocolate from every Paris shoppe. I invite you to share my adventures in creating, in travel, and in life.

18 comments:

  1. You have some beautiful dishes to use and I like that you used your silver pitcher, too. Everything looks fabulous! Best o' luck! Hugs!

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  2. Very pretty table Jacqueline and thanks for all the good info! I'm very much looking forward to corned beef and cabbage... And I'll be wearing green because I've never been fond of the pinching! Have fun:@)

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  3. I think celebrating every holiday is nice even if you are not Irish! We were not Irish but Italian. And we knew it too! LOL Those were the days!
    I love the cabbage centerpiece and your dishes. Your table is all decked out for St. Patrick's Day and I hope you have fun. Oh and may you have the luck of the Irish...whatever that means! LOL
    Blessings My Friend,

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  4. I'm part Irish:)
    I am very taken with that cabbage :)
    How pretty!

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  5. I love what you did! And the sash is perfect!

    I have to laugh about your mom threatening to wear orange. I have both, so I guess I had best look for a stripe...or maybe a plaid since numerous lines are Scottish.

    xoxoxo

    Sheila

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  6. That is an absolutely WONDERFUL St. Paddy's Day celebration. I grew up in an Irish community and loved every moment of it. I believed in leprechauns until I was at least 12 (a tad naive by standards today).

    I am glad you claim a wee bit of Irish- there is a saying that EVERYONE is Irish on St Patrick's Day! lol xo Diana

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  7. Oh what a fun table and I love the education you shared! I learned there is a wee bit of Irish in me but so wee I had to ask another relative to learn about it since my mom's mind isn't reliable anymore! That printed cabbage is too cute! My Dad's family came from Sweden and my Mom has a healthy dose of German from her father with a big mix on her mother's side where the Irish comes in. I think we'll have some cabbage and corned beef just because I never prepare it any other time of the year!

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  8. This is great! Thanks for the history lesson and I want those green dishes!!

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  9. I love all your fun facts Jacqueline, I never paid much attention to St. Pats day either until last year when my granddaughter arrived on 3/17! Now it's officially my favorite holiday! I love your green and white dishes, so so pretty, and I also how you always manage to keep your tablescapes sophisticated yet fun for the "wee" ones too!
    Jenna

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  10. thank you for all the fun info, I knew some but not all of it. Love that cabbage! and what a good grandma you are -- they will love shramrock shakes!

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  11. I love your table, especially the fun cabbage centerpiece. I think St. Patrick's Day is fun. When we lived in Lindon all the kids would dress up with as much green as they could (draped all over), and then whoever had the most green on won a prize. I would be at your table with the little ones grabbling the candy :).

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  12. Amazing table as always. Thank you for the history also.

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  13. What a lovely table with a bit 'o the Irish all over it! First of all, that lettuce or is it a cabbage pulled at my heart! I love that piece. Your dishes are so petty too. You've really put together a wonderful table. Thanks for popping in to see me.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia;)

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  14. Your table is so festive, Jacqueline, and I enjoyed reading all the interesting St. Patrick's Day info. My great great grandparents were born in Ireland and I can remember my g-grandmother singing Irish songs. They all enthusiastically celebrated St. Paddy's Day.

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  15. I told my husband just today that I learned more about Mardi Gras and now St. Patrick's Day because of tablescaping!! It is interesting we had the same thoughts.

    I did my first Mardi Gras table this year and now am in the process of doing a St Patrick's Day post. You did all the research before me. It is fun to learn about different traditions and how they evolved. I am not Irish but like you wore green in school.

    You did a great job on your table and on the history of various traditions associating with St Pat's Day.

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  16. I never thought that this awesome greenish cabbage is attractive! I love both green plates and candles. How come not to appreciate this arrangement? Cool!

    Sebastian of
    Bali Hut Super Store

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  17. It looks as though you had plenty to work with to create your first St. Patty's table. I especially like the cabbage in the silver pitcher, simple but creative. Here's a pinch of appreciation sent your way.

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  18. Gorgeous! Where did you get that cabbage? And what are those utensils? So pretty!!

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