Ask a born and bred Irish person on the biggest difference between celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day in Canada and in Ireland and the answer is quick: there are no parades in Canada.
For Jamie Potter, a resident of Nipawin but Irish through and through, missing the parades seen in his home country is a challenge.
“There is a huge influence over here. In saying that, it’s a worldwide holiday but the biggest difference I noticed is that in Ireland, we have parades,” he said.
Paddy’s Day parades (the proper short form of the holiday) are found in every small town in Ireland with businesses participating, candy for children, bands and Irish dancers rounding out the mix.
“It would go on for three hours. It would happen all the way down your street, go through the city and your town,” Potter said.
Potter is happy to still be able to get green beer, Irish stew and shepherd’s pie though.
St. Patrick was a priest that came from England and went to Ireland where he drove the snakes out, becoming well-known in the process.
“The snakes were a sign that there was evil in Ireland so St. Patrick came in and banished the snakes from Ireland,” Potter explained. “And the shamrock was a symbol and that’s how he taught the Irish people about religion. He used the shamrock as the symbol of St. Patrick.”
He died on March 17, which is why the celebrations fall on that day.
Potter teaches pre-school at the Nipawin daycare and has a somewhat tame leprechaun named Seamus available for fun in the week leading up to St. Patrick’s Day.
Seamus has been playing some pranks on children in Nipawin the entire week leading up to St. Patrick’s Day. (submitted/Jamie Potter)“Seamus was walking all over the windows in the pre-school room and then he was filling up the sink with green water and coins and Lucky Charms were scattered all around the room,” he said.
The children love Seamus’ pranks and fill their parents in when they are picked up at the end of the day.
Leprechauns need to go to the loo as well. (submitted/Jamie Potter)—
susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com
