Celebrate Saint Paddy’s Day with a Guinness (or five)!

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Celebrate Saint Paddy’s Day with a Guinness (or five)!

Hurrah!! Today, March 17th, is St Patrick’s Day, and for expats or holidaymakers in Thailand that means a great opportunity to celebrate the patron Saint of Ireland, but also an excuse (as if you needed one) for a good old knees up, and a chance to frolic under the sun instead of freezing your nuts off back home. And it’s all in the name of raising a glass to our Irish friends and brethren.

Anyone that’s been living under a rock (or has been living in the Land of Smiles too long) may wonder what Saint Patrick’s Day is really all about? In the interest of bringing some culture to the pages of Thai Visa, here are a few quick facts about the Irish Saint.

Who is this Saint Patrick fella?

The patron saint of Ireland brought Christianity to Ireland. He is believed to have died on 17 March sometime in the 5 century (some scholars place his death in AD 461) but the modern origin of the festival stems from the 17 century. It was designated a religious feast day after the Vatican officially recognised the date in 1631.

So, unsurprisingly, back in those days there was no Guinness drinking or visits to raunchy go-go bars. It seems hardly worth celebrating without those two very important elements of Saint Patrick’s Day in Thailand!!

It’s an official public holiday - so sod it and take the day off!

Today is an official public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. But as anyone who likes a drink will obviously know, St Patrick’s Day is celebrated far more widely.

Here in Thailand, there are hundreds of events on - such as the annual parade in Pattaya, and various Irish-themed events going on around Bangkok. There are countless Irish bars all over Thailand, and any worth their salt will be holding a party today, going on well into the small hours. As an added bonus, and a very relevant one to St Paddy’s Day, at such places you can probably expect to see lots of Thai girls wearing skimpy outfits, which will certainly add to the enjoyment of the day for many people.

You can find more about Saint Patricks Day in Thailand via the St Patrick’s Society Bangkok (http://www.stpatricks.in.th) and on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/stpatricksbangkok?fref=ts

Fun myths about St. Patrick’s Day

Think you know everything about Saint Patrick? Think again, because here’s a few interesting facts that might dispel what you think you know…

St. Patrick was not Irish. He was Romano-British - in other words, the part of Britain that was controlled by the Romans. Patrick was captured by Irish pirates when he was 16 and worked six years in hard labor before he escaped, eventually returning as a Christian missionary.

Patrick is credited with driving the snakes out of Ireland. There are no snakes in Ireland, but that’s not because of Patrick. Ireland, like New Zealand, Iceland, Greenland and Antarctica, doesn’t have snakes and never did. The snake is an allegory. The serpent was the symbol of pagans and druids. Patrick did banish them by forcing them to covert to Christianity.

Green was not the first colour associated with Patrick. It was blue. Historians believe blue, not green, was the first national colour of Ireland. The British created an Order of St. Patrick, a mark of chivalry in the Kingdom of Ireland. The Irish Presidential Standard, still in use today, includes a dark blue field with a gold harp.

Patrick didn’t use the four-leaf clover for luck. He used a three-leaf clover to teach the Christian message of the Holy Trinity — the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

All that’s left to say now is that Thai Visa wishes you an entertaining, prosperous and enjoyable St Patricks Day, wherever you are. We’re now off to sink a few crates of Guinness, so we trust that you’ll suffer the hangover with us tomorrow.

--ThaiVisa Editorial Team 2015-03-17

[Costas2008]

Happy St Paddy's day.

I would celebrate any Saints or other day if I could find some Guinness (or five) somewhere here in the sticks.

My favourite drink.........ahhh have to wait till I go back to the UK................

[timmyp]

I grew up in Chicago, where on St P's day, they continue to dye the Chicago River green for one day a year.

It would be nice if they would dye it blue for the other 364 days.

Edited March 17, 2015 by timmyp

[FredNL]

It's an Irish and American tradition. Why do we have to celebrate it here?

Just give me a few good glasses red wine and I'll be happy today.

If the Irish wants to celebrate it, let them return to their home country. Why bother us with it.

Edited March 17, 2015 by FredNL

[Commerce]

It's an Irish and American tradition. Why do we have to celebrate it here?

Just give me a few good glasses red wine and I'll be happy today.

If the Irish wants to celebrate it, let them return to their home country. Why bother us with it.

Jeez. I thought I was bad at parties.

[rubl]

"you can probably expect to see lots of Thai girls wearing skimpy outfits"

Is the Ministry of Culture aware of this

or the neighbours, the local parish priest, the pope ?

One might wonder what St. Patrick would have to say about all this

Edited March 17, 2015 by rubl