Celebrated each year on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day originated in remembrance of the patron saint and apostle St. Patrick on his religious feast day, which is also the day he died. According to Irish folklore, St. Patrick is honored for many things – his religious efforts with Christianity, giving meaning to Ireland’s national flower (the shamrock) and even driving snakes out of Ireland.
Over the years, however, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved to be associated not just with St. Patrick, but with all things Irish, marking a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. In fact, hundreds of cities around the globe hold St. Patrick’s Day festivities to commemorate the great Saint and his country.
Dublin has a week long St. Patrick’s Day festival, featuring a parade, family carnivals, a treasure hunt, dance, theater and more. In America, the Chicago River is typically dyed green with a special dye that lasts just for the day. Montreal celebrates, too, hosting Canada’s longest running St. Patrick’s Day parade since 1824. Italy, Norway, Russia, Japan and Argentina all observe the holiday, by hosting various parades and festivals, wearing green clothes and accessories, and sporting the traditional shamrock icon.
Since this year’s holiday falls on a Saturday, a lot of our lucky readers have the day off, so let’s really celebrate! Grab Logitech’s Squeezebox Radio for an all-in-one network music player that lets you rock with your personal music collections or browse digital music services for upbeat, Irish classics.
Expecting guests? The Wireless Boombox makes it easy to share music, as it pairs with an iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and other Bluetooth-enabled devices. With rich mid-range tones and crisp high notes, the Wireless Boombox delivers great sound. For those of you on the go, check out the Wireless Speaker for a more compact option that still packs a lot of punch.
To help line up some festive tunes for St. Paddy’s Day, we’ve compiled a playlist of classic St. Patrick’s Day songs. Which Logitech device will you use to keep the party going? Let us know in comments!
· Pride in the Name of Love – U2
· Days Like This – Van Morrison
· The Irish Rover – The Pogues
· When Irish Eyes are Smiling – Chauncey Olcott and George Graff, Jr.
· The Boys are Back in Town – Thin Lizzy
