Saturday being St. Patrick’s Day, it
wouldn’t have been in the spirit of Annie’s Cove to not celebrate it with a
bang! Being the ‘Irish of Annie’s’, Lynsey and I were given the responsibility
of organising and hosting the celebrations! To be honest I think the American
girls next door were more excited about the day than we were and were keen to
get in on the action.
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| An artist at work |
Morning began with blowing up balloons and
decorating the pool and braai area. Then came the time to kit ourselves out in
green and orange. I know guys always complain about the amount of time girls
take to get ready, but I can tell you from experience, living in a house of
five girls, that St. Patricks Day is indeed no exception, and if it takes ten
times to draw a shamrock on your cheek perfect, then it takes ten times!
Starting early afternoon with a braai, it
wasn’t long until word had spread about the celebrations in Annie’s and before
long a sea of green had gathered around the pool area. With all the Americans
claiming to be a little bit Irish and everyone else just pretending to be, it
was a great chance for Lynsey and I to teach everyone a ‘wee bit’ about Irish
history, song, stories, traditions and culture.
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| American, German, Norwegian, South African and Irish |
With a pint of the black stuff in one hand
and some green dyed food in the other, we listened to everything from Galway
Girl to the Dubliners with some embarrassing dancing in between. I was
surprised how familiar many of the locals and internationals were with
everything from Irish music and dance to food, traditions and history. It was a
shock to me how the culture of a small country like Ireland can be so
influential across the globe!
With St. Patricks Day being known
worldwide, it was interesting to see the ways in which other countries
celebrate our country. Looking back in a deeper sense it was interesting to see
how people perceive things about people based on their nationality. Irish
people are known for drinking, Americans for being overweight, Germans for
being efficient. While some of these perceptions may be true to a certain
degree, they are not always. I think it’s important not to judge a person based
on a perception but based on knowing that individual, their personality, values
and beliefs. I think that a country’s culture can in itself be diverse and that
everyone’s unique characteristics and customs have a role to play in a country’s
identity.
We finished the celebrations with a visit
to Barney’s, for a few green coloured beer. St Patrick’s Day was definitely not
only a great chance to share culture but a lot of fun!
