Indulge in St. Patrick’s Day

In the midst of dry spell known to Catholics as Lent –
there is a beer filled haven where Irish Catholics and
those that wish they had a little Irish in them gather
together for comradery and Guinness stout, wear green, and
hope to find a treasure at the end of the rainbow.

On Saturday morning, start by having some fun with what
you wear. Seattle is not known for being fashion forward,
but on St. Patrick’s Day, it’s not about being stylish.
It’s all about being creative in one color. Whether it’s a
green tuxedo with clover antlers on top of a green wig, or
something a little classier, you’ll be ready to face the
day. And to not get pinched for your lack of emerald.

Once you’ve dressed yourself and your family, head to
downtown Seattle for the Irish Heritage Club’s St.
Patrick’s Day Parade. Heading north on 4th Ave starting
from Jefferson to the Reviewing Stand at Westlake Park the
parade officially ends at the Seattle Center around 2 p.m.
Afterward, you and your family can drop in on the Irish
Festival at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall.

Now – indulge in your sweet tooth. There are a
couple of cupcake options in the area that bring the
sweeter flavors of Ireland to the U.S. At Cupcake Royale,
you can get the Irish Cake Bomb. Chocolate cake made with
Elliot Bay’s organic No Doubt Stout is filled with a
Jameson Whiskey buttercream frosting and kissed with an
Irish Cream whipped frosting. Over at Trophy Cupcakes
their rich valrhona chocolate cake is spiked with Guinness
Stout and is then topped with Irish Cream buttercream and
a lucky green shamrock.

Kissing – we’ll keep this brief. You may kiss someone who
asks you to kiss them because they are Irish. But
hopefully you know and like that Irish person, and know
where their lips have been.

For adults, you might be interested in hitting up the
pubs. Enjoy a Guinness, or a green beer that’s been
artificially dyed. Just beware, as TBTL Luke Burbank says,
St. Patrick’s Day can turn into “amateur night.” Here is
the thing: There aren’t Irish traditions about drinking
copious amounts of beer on St. Patrick’s Day.

In fact, most of our traditions and indulgences have very
little to do with the original celebration of the patron
saint of Ireland. But, we can thank our Irish ancestors
for creating the traditions stateside, to help make sure
our Saturday is the luckiest.