This year has brought about the most enlightening and
educational St. Patrick’s Day that I have ever experienced! I am student
teaching right now, and my cooperating teacher is Irish. He actually met his
wife in Ireland, so on Friday he decided to give a quick Irish history lesson
to our students in honor of St. Patrick’s Day this weekend… He captured the
students’ attention by telling a story of the Dullahan, a decapitated mythical
creature from Ireland that rides a horse around the Emerald Isle, and he did so
in a very thick Irish accent. It was awesome! I’ve learned so much this year,
starting with the fact that Washington Irving stole the story of the Dullahan
from the Irish when he wrote The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. That’s right, folks.
The Dullahan was the original headless horsemen.
The Dullahan- A headless fairy that carries his head
underneath of his arm as he rides on a black horse. The head's eyes are small,
black, and constantly dart about like flies, while the mouth is constantly in a
hideous grin that touches both sides of the head. The flesh of the head is said
to have the color and consistency of moldy cheese. The Dullahan's whip is
actually the spine of a human corpse. Creepy, right? Here’s a picture of him:
When the Dullahan stops riding, it is where a person is due to die. The Dullahan calls out their name, at which point they immediately perish. There is no way to bar the road against a Dullahan because all locks and gates open on their own when it approaches. Also, they do not appreciate being watched while on their errands, so they throw a basin of blood on those who dare to do so. How rude!
The “Wearing of the Green”- I also learned that the Irish have not always worn green on St. Patrick’s Day. They originally wore blue, the official color of the Order of Saint Patrick, a British order of chivalry that existed until 1921. Green didn’t become the holiday’s official color until the 1700’s when the Irish began wearing green for good luck. They thought that the green would please certain fairies and they would help the Irishmen to have a good crop season!
The Shamrock- St. Patrick used the three-leaved
shamrock to teach about the “Irish ruffians” about the trinity (the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghost).
Saint Patrick Himself- St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish, he was British! The
British actually controlled Ireland for a long time, and they restricted the
Irish from celebrating any Pagan holidays. The British allowed the Irish people to celebrate St.
Patrick’s Day because it was not a day that celebrated their heritage at all.
In the British king’s eyes, it was a day that celebrated a British man that
brought Christianity to the Irish people!
I love history.
On a more fun note, we threw a Saint Patrick’s Day party and
it was awesome. Here are some pictures:
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