The History of St. Patrick’s Day Traditions圣帕特里克节传统探源

St. Patrick’s Day is filled with its own unique traditions. If you don’t wear something green， you can expect to be pinched. You might take part in a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dinner by eating corned beef and cabbage， or head to the bar to drink some green beer.

圣帕特里克节充满了独特的传统。如果身上不穿点绿色，你就可能被捏一下。你可以参加圣帕特克里节的传统晚宴，品尝腌牛肉和卷心菜，或是去酒吧喝些绿啤酒。

But where did these practices come from？ Did St. Patrick have a role in the development of these traditions？ And did these customs even originate in Ireland at all？ Let’s dive into the origins and history of nine St. Patrick’s Day traditions.

但是，这些习俗从何而来？圣帕特里克对这些传统的发展有什么影响？这些习俗真的起源于爱尔兰吗？让我们看看这九个圣帕特里克节传统，一探究竟。

1. Wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day

1. 在圣帕特里克节穿绿色

Every year， millions of St. Patrick’s Day celebrants wear something green. The color， which seems to symbolize the Emerald Isle （another name for Ireland） or the Irish flag， is used to paint a poignant story about this tradition.

每年都有数百万人身穿绿色服饰庆祝圣帕特里克节。绿色似乎象征翡翠岛（爱尔兰岛的别称）或爱尔兰国旗，人们用这种颜色来呈现一个关于传统的辛酸故事。

However， St. Patrick’s initial color of choice was， in fact， blue. In reality， it wasn’t until 1641—more than 1000 years after St. Patrick’s death—that green slowly started gaining prominence in Ireland， becoming a symbolic color. When Ireland decided to break free from British control， the Irish began wearing green clothing as a manifestation of their nationalism.

但圣帕特里克最初的选择其实是蓝色。事实上，直到1641年——也就是圣帕特里克去世1000多年后——绿色才慢慢在爱尔兰崭露头角，成为代表色。当爱尔兰摆脱英国统治后，爱尔兰人开始穿绿色衣服，以展现他们的民族情感。

2. Eating corned beef and cabbage

2. 吃腌牛肉配卷心菜

Restaurants across America often offer corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day. The dish first caught on in New York City and quickly became a holiday staple.

美国各地餐馆通常会在圣帕特里克节提供腌牛肉配卷心菜。这道菜最先在纽约流行起来，之后迅速成为节日主食。

In Ireland， beef was both expensive and scarce， making it difficult to acquire; consequently， people turned to salt pork as a substitute. Even in today’s Ireland， most people look to the cheaper alternative and buy beef brisket rather than corned beef and cabbage.

过去，在爱尔兰，牛肉价高量少，很难买到，人们便改吃咸猪肉代替。即使今天，比起吃腌牛肉和卷心菜，大多数爱尔兰人还是会选择更便宜的替代品，比如牛胸肉。

But when immigrants settled in New York in the 19th century， they began eating beef. This change was facilitated by the availability and affordability of beef， as it was sold by local kosher butchers.

而在19世纪，当爱尔兰移民在纽约定居后，移民们便开始吃牛肉。由于当地犹太屠夫出售的牛肉又好买又便宜，促使移民做出了这种改变。

3. Eating Blarney Stone pastries

3. 吃布拉尼石糕点

If you’ve ever been lucky enough to taste a Blarney Stone pastry， you know how delicious this peanut-and-powdered-sugar-filled St. Patrick’s Day treat is. Blarney stone pastries are believed to have originated in Iowa and are extremely popular in the midwest. The Blarney Stone pastry was named after a piece of limestone that was built into Blarney Castle in 1446， which is said to bring the gift of grace and gab to those who kiss it.

如果有幸品尝过布拉尼石糕点，你就知道这个由花生和糖粉填馅儿的圣帕特里克节小吃有多么美味。据信，这款糕点起源于美国爱荷华州，在中西部极受欢迎。布拉尼石糕点因1446年修建布拉尼城堡时用的一块石灰石而得名，据说这块石灰石会赐予亲吻它的人风度与口才。

4. Getting pinched for not wearing green

4. 不穿绿色就被捏

Legend has it that leprechauns are responsible for the pinching that takes place on St. Patrick’s Day. Wearing green is said to make people invisible to leprechauns， keeping us safe from their mischievous pinches throughout the celebration. It’s believed that pinching those who don’t wear green is a way to admonish them for not displaying their Irish pride.

传说小矮妖（爱尔兰传说中的小精灵）是圣帕特里克节捏人传统的罪魁祸首。据说穿绿色衣服可以遮蔽小矮妖的视线，节日期间就能躲过他们的捏人恶作剧。人们认为，捏那些不穿绿色衣服的人是一种训诫，责怪他们没有展现出作为爱尔兰人的自豪感。

5. St. Patrick’s Day parades

5. 圣帕特里克节游行

In Ireland， St. Patrick’s Day has always been a celebration of faith. It wasn’t until the holiday made it to America that St. Patrick’s Day parades began to take place. The first St. Patrick’s Day Parade was held in New York City in 1762. According to Timothy Meagher， a history professor at Catholic University， these parades were significant， allowing Irish Americans to showcase the size of their communities and celebrate their identities.

在爱尔兰，圣帕特里克节一直都是信仰的庆典。直到这个节日传入美国，才开始有了游行活动。第一次圣帕特里克节游行于1762年在纽约市举行。天主教大学历史学教授蒂莫西·马尔称，这些游行意义重大，可以让爱尔兰裔美国人展现他们社区的规模，彰显他们的身份。

6. Drowning the shamrock

6. 浸没三叶草

At the end of the St. Patrick’s Day celebration night， participants soak a shamrock in their final glass of whiskey， toast to the saint， and then toss the shamrock over their left shoulder for good luck. This tradition is mainly a tribute to St. Patrick， who might have used the shamrock as a teaching tool for Catholicism; its three leaves are said to represent the holy trinity.

在圣帕特里克节庆祝夜晚的尾声，参与者会把三叶草浸泡在最后一杯威士忌中，向这位圣徒祝酒，然后将三叶草扔过左肩以求好运。这一传统主要是为了纪念圣帕特里克，他可能曾将三叶草用作天主教的教具。据说三叶草的三片叶子代表三位一体。

7. Dyeing a river green

7. 染绿一条河

In 1962， to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day， the Journeymen’s Plumbers Local Union 130 first dyed the Chicago River green. The dye initially chosen by the plumbers was originally used to trace pollutants in pipelines， but the vibrant green color turned out to be an ideal medium for showcasing the colorful spirit of St. Patrick’s Day. Dyeing the river green requires 40 pounds of dye， and the effect lasts for only a few days each year.