Edythe Preet writes of St. Stephen’s Day traditions that include hunting the wren. I look forward to the Christmas holidays more than anyone I’ve ever known. In addition to the main events, my birthday falls smack dab in the middle between Christmas and the New Year. All my life I’ve heard people say, “Oh you poor dear.” Even when I was a child, I thought those naysayers were … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Hooray for St. Stephen & “Up Sraid Eoin!”
Sláinte! Hooray for St. Stephen & “Up Sraid Eoin!”
By Edythe Preet, Columnist
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Sláinte! Goblins, Ghosts and Ghoulies
By Edythe Preet, Columnist
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When it comes to goblins, ghosts, and ghoulies, most folk – without a fluttering heartbeat’s hesitation – will name Transylvania as the epicenter for scary creatures of the night. There’s hardly a soul that hasn’t shivered in fear while watching one of the many filmed scenes of a midnight visitation from that archetype of the undead Count Dracula, a chancy encounter with some … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Goblins, Ghosts and Ghoulies
Sláinte! Music, Music, Music
Edythe Preet writes that music defines Ireland’s identity. For every country there is an iconic image that immediately brings the nation to mind. The United States has the Statue of Liberty. Dragons evoke thoughts of China. The Fleur de Lis is quintessentially French. While national symbols range the gamut from mythical beasts, crowns, and statues to insignias, monuments, … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Music, Music, Music
Sláinte! Mother Earth
Edythe Preet writes of the many reasons why Ireland is called the Motherland. Civilization began when hunter-gatherers learned to cultivate grain and evolved into permanent agricultural communities. Since males were the hunters and females the gatherers, anthropologists theorize it was most likely women who realized that grain grew from gathered seeds that could be … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Mother Earth
Sláinte! Forty Shades of Red
Brigid – Ireland’s red-haired saint – was one of history’s liberated women. Everyone knows that in Ireland one will encounter “forty shades of green.” Lesser realized is that another band of the spectrum also occurs in a multitude of hues: Red. While the former abounds in the lush verdant landscape, the latter crowns the heads of more than 420,000 Irish men, women and … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Forty Shades of Red