The History of St. Patrick’s Day Traditions圣帕特里克節傳統探源

St. Patrick’s Day is filled with its own unique traditions. If you don’t wear something green， you can expect to be pinched. You might take part in a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dinner by eating corned beef and cabbage， or head to the bar to drink some green beer.

圣帕特里克節充滿了獨特的傳統。如果身上不穿點綠色，你就可能被捏一下。你可以參加圣帕特克里節的傳統晚宴，品嘗腌牛肉和卷心菜，或是去酒吧喝些綠啤酒。

But where did these practices come from？ Did St. Patrick have a role in the development of these traditions？ And did these customs even originate in Ireland at all？ Let’s dive into the origins and history of nine St. Patrick’s Day traditions.

但是，這些習俗從何而來？圣帕特里克對這些傳統的發展有什么影響？這些習俗真的起源于愛爾蘭嗎？讓我們看看這九個圣帕特里克節傳統，一探究竟。

1. Wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day

1. 在圣帕特里克節穿綠色

Every year， millions of St. Patrick’s Day celebrants wear something green. The color， which seems to symbolize the Emerald Isle （another name for Ireland） or the Irish flag， is used to paint a poignant story about this tradition.

每年都有數百萬人身穿綠色服飾慶祝圣帕特里克節。綠色似乎象征翡翠島（愛爾蘭島的別稱）或愛爾蘭國旗，人們用這種顏色來呈現一個關于傳統的辛酸故事。

However， St. Patrick’s initial color of choice was， in fact， blue. In reality， it wasn’t until 1641—more than 1000 years after St. Patrick’s death—that green slowly started gaining prominence in Ireland， becoming a symbolic color. When Ireland decided to break free from British control， the Irish began wearing green clothing as a manifestation of their nationalism.

但圣帕特里克最初的選擇其實是藍色。事實上，直到1641年——也就是圣帕特里克去世1000多年后——綠色才慢慢在愛爾蘭嶄露頭角，成為代表色。當愛爾蘭擺脫英國統治后，愛爾蘭人開始穿綠色衣服，以展現他們的民族情感。

2. Eating corned beef and cabbage

2. 吃腌牛肉配卷心菜

Restaurants across America often offer corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day. The dish first caught on in New York City and quickly became a holiday staple.

美國各地餐館通常會在圣帕特里克節提供腌牛肉配卷心菜。這道菜最先在紐約流行起來，之后迅速成為節日主食。

In Ireland， beef was both expensive and scarce， making it difficult to acquire; consequently， people turned to salt pork as a substitute. Even in today’s Ireland， most people look to the cheaper alternative and buy beef brisket rather than corned beef and cabbage.

過去，在愛爾蘭，牛肉價高量少，很難買到，人們便改吃咸豬肉代替。即使今天，比起吃腌牛肉和卷心菜，大多數愛爾蘭人還是會選擇更便宜的替代品，比如牛胸肉。

But when immigrants settled in New York in the 19th century， they began eating beef. This change was facilitated by the availability and affordability of beef， as it was sold by local kosher butchers.

而在19世紀，當愛爾蘭移民在紐約定居后，移民們便開始吃牛肉。由于當地猶太屠夫出售的牛肉又好買又便宜，促使移民做出了這種改變。

3. Eating Blarney Stone pastries

3. 吃布拉尼石糕點

If you’ve ever been lucky enough to taste a Blarney Stone pastry， you know how delicious this peanut-and-powdered-sugar-filled St. Patrick’s Day treat is. Blarney stone pastries are believed to have originated in Iowa and are extremely popular in the midwest. The Blarney Stone pastry was named after a piece of limestone that was built into Blarney Castle in 1446， which is said to bring the gift of grace and gab to those who kiss it.

如果有幸品嘗過布拉尼石糕點，你就知道這個由花生和糖粉填餡兒的圣帕特里克節小吃有多么美味。據信，這款糕點起源于美國愛荷華州，在中西部極受歡迎。布拉尼石糕點因1446年修建布拉尼城堡時用的一塊石灰石而得名，據說這塊石灰石會賜予親吻它的人風度與口才。

4. Getting pinched for not wearing green

4. 不穿綠色就被捏

Legend has it that leprechauns are responsible for the pinching that takes place on St. Patrick’s Day. Wearing green is said to make people invisible to leprechauns， keeping us safe from their mischievous pinches throughout the celebration. It’s believed that pinching those who don’t wear green is a way to admonish them for not displaying their Irish pride.

傳說小矮妖（愛爾蘭傳說中的小精靈）是圣帕特里克節捏人傳統的罪魁禍首。據說穿綠色衣服可以遮蔽小矮妖的視線，節日期間就能躲過他們的捏人惡作劇。人們認為，捏那些不穿綠色衣服的人是一種訓誡，責怪他們沒有展現出作為愛爾蘭人的自豪感。

5. St. Patrick’s Day parades

5. 圣帕特里克節游行

In Ireland， St. Patrick’s Day has always been a celebration of faith. It wasn’t until the holiday made it to America that St. Patrick’s Day parades began to take place. The first St. Patrick’s Day Parade was held in New York City in 1762. According to Timothy Meagher， a history professor at Catholic University， these parades were significant， allowing Irish Americans to showcase the size of their communities and celebrate their identities.

在愛爾蘭，圣帕特里克節一直都是信仰的慶典。直到這個節日傳入美國，才開始有了游行活動。第一次圣帕特里克節游行于1762年在紐約市舉行。天主教大學歷史學教授蒂莫西·馬爾稱，這些游行意義重大，可以讓愛爾蘭裔美國人展現他們社區的規模，彰顯他們的身份。

6. Drowning the shamrock

6. 浸沒三葉草

At the end of the St. Patrick’s Day celebration night， participants soak a shamrock in their final glass of whiskey， toast to the saint， and then toss the shamrock over their left shoulder for good luck. This tradition is mainly a tribute to St. Patrick， who might have used the shamrock as a teaching tool for Catholicism; its three leaves are said to represent the holy trinity.

在圣帕特里克節慶祝夜晚的尾聲，參與者會把三葉草浸泡在最后一杯威士忌中，向這位圣徒祝酒，然后將三葉草扔過左肩以求好運。這一傳統主要是為了紀念圣帕特里克，他可能曾將三葉草用作天主教的教具。據說三葉草的三片葉子代表三位一體。

7. Dyeing a river green

7. 染綠一條河

In 1962， to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day， the Journeymen’s Plumbers Local Union 130 first dyed the Chicago River green. The dye initially chosen by the plumbers was originally used to trace pollutants in pipelines， but the vibrant green color turned out to be an ideal medium for showcasing the colorful spirit of St. Patrick’s Day. Dyeing the river green requires 40 pounds of dye， and the effect lasts for only a few days each year.

1962年，為慶祝圣帕特里克節，芝加哥水管工工會第130號分會首次染綠了芝加哥河。水管工最初選擇的染料是用作追蹤管道污染物的，但是后來發現這種鮮艷的綠色正適合展示圣帕特里克節的豐富內涵。染綠這條河需要40磅染料，且效果每年只能持續數天。

8. Drinking green beer

8. 飲綠啤酒

Even before they started dyeing rivers green， people were adding an emerald hue to their beer. Green beer first arrived on the American bar scene in the early 1900s. Over the following decades， this uniquely colored concoction gained increasing popularity， eventually becoming a global sensation. The collision of blue food coloring with the yellow tones of beer creates a visually striking libation.

在開始把河流染綠之前，人們就在啤酒里加入祖母綠調色。20世紀初，綠色啤酒首次出現于美國酒吧之中。隨后幾十年，這種顏色獨特的調制酒越來越受歡迎，最終風靡全球。藍色食用色素同啤酒的黃色調碰撞，創造出一種十分引人注目的綠色酒飲。

9. Abstaining from alcohol

9. 戒酒

Although St. Patrick’s Day is commonly celebrated with lots of beer—particularly Guinness—in America， it used to be a day of sobriety for Irish citizens. This is because St. Patrick’s Day is considered a holy day， which was meant to be observed by going to church. Because of this， pubs in Ireland were closed on the holiday all the way up until the 1970s.

盡管在美國，人們通常飲用大量啤酒（尤其是吉尼斯黑啤酒）來慶祝圣帕特里克節，但對愛爾蘭民眾而言，它曾經是一個戒酒日。這是因為圣帕特里克節被視為圣日，意味著人們應該去教堂慶祝。因此，在20世紀70年代之前，愛爾蘭的酒吧在節日這天都不營業。

（譯者單位：對外經濟貿易大學）