Celebrating Our March Saints |
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St. Patrick and St. Joseph |
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Two large cultural groups – the Irish and the Italians – celebrate patron saint days every March, not just religiously, but also with food and cultural traditions.
St. Patrick’s Day, held annually on March 17, celebrates the patron saint of Ireland, who is also its national apostle. St. Patrick lived during the fifth century and is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland.
St. Joseph’s Day, held annually on March 19, is celebrated in many Italian-American households and in Italy as the national Father’s Day. Most commonly known as Mary’s husband and father figure to Jesus, St. Joseph is also the patron saint of workers, and is honored for answering people’s prayers to end a Sicilian drought during medieval times.
Here are five ways to celebrate these two holidays – even if you aren’t Italian or Irish!
Wear the correct color.
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On St. Patrick’s Day, the Irish wear green, because according to folklore, green makes people invisible to leprechauns, who will pinch humans if they spot them.
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On St. Joseph’s Day, Italians wear red clothing.
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Shamrocks are a traditional St. Patrick’s Day decoration and have several special meanings. St. Patrick is said to have used the shamrock’s three leaves to illustrate the Holy Trinity. The green trefoil plant also symbolizes the arrival of spring. |
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Italians may set up a St. Joseph Altar at home, filled with items to venerate the saint, such as rosaries and statues, candles, foods such as bread, citrus fruits, and fava beans (which thrived during the Sicilian drought.) Sometimes the items are arranged in the shape of a cross, or in three tiers to represent the Holy Trinity. Italian families sometimes visit each other’s homes to see the various altars. |
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Eat a traditional holiday meal. |
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The Irish celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Irish soda bread, a quick bread made with baking soda instead of yeast. It is sometimes flavored with raisins and/or caraway seeds. Traditional Irish holiday meals might feature lamb stew, shepherd’s pie, and colcannon (a buttery mash of potatoes and kale or cabbage.) In the United States, corned beef and cabbage is a favorite holiday meal, accompanied by a pint of Guinness stout. |
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Italians celebrate St. Joseph’s Day with several traditional dishes. Pasta Con Sarde, also known as Pasta di San Giuseppe, features bucatini pasta mixed with sardines, pine nuts, raisins, and a healthy sprinkling of toasted breadcrumbs. Some say the breadcrumbs are “poor man’s cheese” while others say it looks like sawdust from the workshop of the humble carpenter Joseph. Italian bakeries sell San Giuseppe Bread in the shape of a cross or a shepherd’s staff. For dessert, Zeppole di San Giuseppe is a sweet fried doughnut sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, filled with pastry cream, and topped with whipped cream and a sour cherry. If it’s filled with cannoli cream, it’s called sfinci.
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Enjoy special traditions. |
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The Irish celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a big way, with large parades featuring bagpipers and Irish dancers. They may host a social dance gathering called a ceili, where musicians play the Celtic harp, the fiddle, uillean pipes and a drum called a bodhran.
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In Italy, the feast day of St. Joseph is also celebrated as Father’s Day. Italians say thank you to fathers, grandfathers, uncles and men – past and present – who have cared for their families.
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Remember the Catholic roots of these two feast days and give blessings to these patron saints. |
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Editor’s Note: Because of pandemic restrictions, the popular St. Joseph Day celebration at Casa Belvedere will not be held this year. The Italian Cultural Foundation organized two small in-person culinary classes where adults will learn how to make Pasta Con Sarde and Irish Soda Bread, and children will make Irish Soda Bread Cookies. Both classes are sold out, but for information about future culinary programs, click here.
Tanti auguri a tutti i Giuseppe/ina,
Patrizio/a e a tutti i papà!
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The Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere
"A Unique Campus Showcasing the Rich Heritage & Culture of Italy"
79 Howard Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10301
T. 718-273-7660 • E. info@casa-belvedere.org
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