Saint Patrick's Day in Seoul

I’m of course far from being any breed of Irish (come on), but just the same, my housemate and I spent this afternoon going nosey over at Marronier Park in Hyehwa-dong to witness Saint Patrick’s Day celebration here in Seoul. I read about it in the papers during the week, and the news was just in time for my usual brew on weekend activities to try out. Woohoo!

It surprised me to know that there actually are quite a handful of these European bloods in Asia, for Seoul to even hold a celebration here. Then I remembered how the Americans are so stoked to “going green” along with the Irish people— with how it has equally been popular in the U.S., I mean. And talk about the flock of Americans that have been going to South Korea for teaching jobs— the country then, has all the guts to splurge on this one. Now looking around at all the tall, Western folks that gathered in that small park that I have more or less been so used to seeing (I pass by the said park every Sunday for my Korean Language class), I realized how I’m simply such a loser in distinguishing an Irish from an American. They all are the same tall, white, usually-blonde, and commonly chisel-nosed species of the opposite hemisphere for me!

Saint Patrick’s Day is, more than anything else, a religious occasion, commemorating Ireland’s patron saint, who brought Christianity to the country. Unlike the serious mood that such matter would normally imply, it's pretty amazing to see and actually feel the festive and jolly spirit of the event.

There were balloons, London Bridges, caterpillars, mascots— and everything was just in green! Now I learned that the color green has always been associated with Saint Patrick’s Day because Saint Patrick used the famous “shamrock” green leaf in explaining the Holy Trinity to the Irish people. And well, well, well. I did my share in everybody’s "go-green" theme.