CASA Goes Green to Celebrate St. Patty’s Day

The luck of the Irish was upon us as we searched for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow at CASA’S St. Patrick’s Day Party. Some green beer and punch, lots of munchies and 50 some gringos all pretending to be Irish, made for a lively afternoon. Sponsored by CASA (Coronado Area Social Association) the afternoon social reunited old friends who hadn’t seen each other in a while, along with the chance to make new ones. As usual Louise welcomed the guests with open arms encouraging all to make themselves at home under her bohio.

CASA generously donated funds to the following local organizations:
Panama Animal League – Stephen Johnson
Spray The Stray – Sheila Scott
SOS Orphanage House 4 – Linda Murdock
Spay And Neuter – Ellen Cook
Chame Orphanage – Jeannine Nadeau

Although this gringo holiday is not celebrated here in Panama, us North Americans look for any opportunity to throw a party. But St. Patrick himself might be seeing green if he were alive today seeing how the holiday that bears his name has changed throughout the years.

Born by the name Maewyn Succat in Scotland not Ireland, it wasn’t until he became involved in the Church that his name was changed to Patrick. And although green is the national color of Ireland, the color most associated with St. Patrick is blue. The Order of St. Patrick was established in 1783 as an order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Ireland, where knights were adorned in the color blue.

The Feast of St. Patrick has been celebrated by the Irish since the ninth century but they never had a parade of their own to commemorate the day until 1931. The first ever-recorded parade for St. Patrick’s Day was in 1737 in Boston, Massachusetts. Even today more parades are held in the U.S. than in Ireland with the largest being in New York City.

St. Patrick became known for his use of the three-leafed shamrock as a way to explain the Holy Trinity to his followers. He tied shamrocks to his robe as a religious reminder, which forever more associated St. Patrick with the color green.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/st-patricks-day-2013-things/story?id=18723794