Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
Mar 18, 2011
UNTIL a few years ago, in Uganda we had never heard of St. Patrick’s Day, St. Paddy’s Day or just Paddy’s Day which is a yearly festival of celebrations around the world.
By Timothy Bukumunhe
UNTIL a few years ago, in Uganda we had never heard of St. Patrick’s Day, St. Paddy’s Day or just Paddy’s Day which is a yearly festival of celebrations around the world.
But with a large influx of the Irish community into Uganda and a good number of Irish pubs opening up, St. Patrick’s Day which is celebrated on March 17, is as strong a fixture on the Ugandan social calendar as is the Royal Ascot Goat Races, Pam Awards and Miss Uganda, for example.
Ireland has had a strong presence in Uganda for over 100 years with hundreds of Irish people now living here. The Embassy of Ireland in Kampala was established in 1994.
St. Patrick’s Day is an annual feast that celebrates Saint Patrick who was one of the patron saints of Ireland and in some countries like Ireland it is a public holiday.
Originally, a religious feast day created to celebrate the life of St. Patrick, a missionary who converted the Irish population to Christianity during the 5th Century, in recent times the day has taken on more of festival feel.
While little is known about St. Patrick, we do know that while known as merely Patrick, he lived in the British Isles which had been invaded and conquered by the Romans and then again by Germanic tribes.
Patrick was captured during this time and taken as a slave at the age of 16. It is said that Patrick prayed one night and heard a voice that told him to escape and find a ship that would be waiting for him 200 miles away.
Patrick’s next mission, he believed, was a call from God to go back to Ireland and convert the Celtic people to Christian religion. So that is exactly what he did. He arrived in Ireland and travelled from village to village preaching his faith.
The story behind the shamrock being associated with St. Patrick’s Day is found here. Several members of a tribe approached Patrick (after his preaching of the Trinity) and told him that they found it difficult to understand the Holy Trinity.
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations take on the form of everything from street carnivals, to music and to merry feasting.
In Kampala, St. Patrick’s weekend kicked off with the annual Embassy of Ireland St. Patrick’s Day reception hosted by the Ambassador of Ireland to Uganda, H.E. Kevin Kelly at his residence yesterday.
Guests were treated to Irish food and drinks and traditional music by the Mala Maesctha band flown all the way from the homeland. Said Ambassador Kelly in an advance message: “Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day 2011 in Kampala reminds us of the resilience of the Irish, our pride at being who we are, and our enthusiasm for a growing relationship with the great people of Uganda.â€
Entertainment over these following days will also include the annual Ireland vs England football challenge in Lugogo today, Friday 18.
There are other parallel ceremonies at a popular Irish joint culminating into the now famous St. Patrick’s Day Ball at the Sheraton Hotel on Saturday March 19.
UNTIL a few years ago, in Uganda we had never heard of St. Patrick’s Day, St. Paddy’s Day or just Paddy’s Day which is a yearly festival of celebrations around the world.
But with a large influx of the Irish community into Uganda and a good number of Irish pubs opening up, St. Patrick’s Day which is celebrated on March 17, is as strong a fixture on the Ugandan social calendar as is the Royal Ascot Goat Races, Pam Awards and Miss Uganda, for example.
Ireland has had a strong presence in Uganda for over 100 years with hundreds of Irish people now living here. The Embassy of Ireland in Kampala was established in 1994.
St. Patrick’s Day is an annual feast that celebrates Saint Patrick who was one of the patron saints of Ireland and in some countries like Ireland it is a public holiday.
Originally, a religious feast day created to celebrate the life of St. Patrick, a missionary who converted the Irish population to Christianity during the 5th Century, in recent times the day has taken on more of festival feel.
While little is known about St. Patrick, we do know that while known as merely Patrick, he lived in the British Isles which had been invaded and conquered by the Romans and then again by Germanic tribes.
Patrick was captured during this time and taken as a slave at the age of 16. It is said that Patrick prayed one night and heard a voice that told him to escape and find a ship that would be waiting for him 200 miles away.
Patrick’s next mission, he believed, was a call from God to go back to Ireland and convert the Celtic people to Christian religion. So that is exactly what he did. He arrived in Ireland and travelled from village to village preaching his faith.
The story behind the shamrock being associated with St. Patrick’s Day is found here. Several members of a tribe approached Patrick (after his preaching of the Trinity) and told him that they found it difficult to understand the Holy Trinity.
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations take on the form of everything from street carnivals, to music and to merry feasting.
In Kampala, St. Patrick’s weekend kicked off with the annual Embassy of Ireland St. Patrick’s Day reception hosted by the Ambassador of Ireland to Uganda, H.E. Kevin Kelly at his residence yesterday.
Guests were treated to Irish food and drinks and traditional music by the Mala Maesctha band flown all the way from the homeland. Said Ambassador Kelly in an advance message: “Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day 2011 in Kampala reminds us of the resilience of the Irish, our pride at being who we are, and our enthusiasm for a growing relationship with the great people of Uganda.â€
Entertainment over these following days will also include the annual Ireland vs England football challenge in Lugogo today, Friday 18.
There are other parallel ceremonies at a popular Irish joint culminating into the now famous St. Patrick’s Day Ball at the Sheraton Hotel on Saturday March 19.