Week 7 - Celebrating Culture

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.

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.

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!