St. Patrick (Latin: Patricius; Irish: Naomh Pádraig), along with St. Brigid of Kildare and St. Columba, is one of the patron Saints of Ireland. He was born in Roman Britain, kidnapped as a young man by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland, escaped and returned to Britain, and then later returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. Many details of St. Patrick’s life and works remain obscure, even the dates of his birth and death, however there are many legends about him, including the claim that he banished the snakes of Ireland (there were in fact no snakes in Ireland since the Ice Age), and that he explained the concept of the trinity using the shamrock leaf (a 3 leaf clover).
St. Patrick’s Day, which falls on March 17th, is the Christian feast day which celebrates St. Patrick’s life. The day is a public holiday in both the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland, as well as in Newfoundland and Labrador, but is also a day that Irish people around the world celebrate their roots and their culture. The day is usually marked by parades and other activities, including family and community gatherings. Of course, no such gathering would be complete without Irish-themed games and entertainment – and one such game that is ideal for the occasion is St. Patrick’s Day bingo.
St. Patrick’s Day bingo is played exactly likely the standard game of bingo, except that instead of using bingo cards containing numbered squares, each square on the bingo card instead contains a word or phrase on an Irish theme. The cards can easily be prepared in advance by the event organizer using some bingo card maker software, and the game itself is a lot of fun for people of all ages, as well providing an opportunity for younger players to learn about their culture.
By: Sunil Tanna
Hogmanay (pronounced “hug-m’nay” with stress on the last syllable) is the Scots’ word for the last day of the year, December 31st (generally known outside of Scotland as “New Year’s Eve”). Hogmanay is of course a day of celebration, and in fact the start of a period of celebration that includes December 31st (officially known as “Auld Year’s Night”), January 1st (known in Scotland as “Ne’erday”, and elsewhere as “New Year’s Day”), and January 2nd which in Scotland is a public holiday (a “Scottish Bank Holiday”).
There are many customs and traditions associated with Hogmanay, some national, others local. A particularly popular and widespread tradition is “first footing”, which begins immediately after the midnight transition to the New Year. First footing involves being the first to cross the threshold of a neighbor and giving a symbolic gift intended to bring luck to the householder – such symbolic gifts may include salt (although this is becoming less common nowadays), whisky, shortbread, black bun (a type of rich fruit cake), or even coal.
Another Hogmanay tradition is the singing of “Auld Lang Syne”. This is a traditional Scottish poem that was reinterpreted by Scottish romantic poet, Robert Burns, and later set to music. In fact, this Scottish tradition (along with the eating of Haggis and playing New Year in with bagpipes) is now a popular New Year activity not just in Scotland, but around the world.
Many people enjoy bring in the New Year with drinking and dancing, but even for people who prefer something more laid back, there is still the opportunity to spend time with friends and family. Hogmanay is also a wonderful time for family gatherings and parties, and of course party would be complete without party games!
One party game that you ought to consider is bingo. Bingo is great for family, church and community gatherings because it is so easy to play (everybody either already knows how or can learn very quickly), and because it is suitable for people of all ages – as well as being a lot of fun!
Of course, if you’re playing bingo at New Year, you’ll want to play the game with a Hogmanay or New Year theme. One way that you can do this is that instead of playing bingo with traditional numbered bingo cards, you can print up (using your computer) some cards containing word or phrases relating to the New Year festivities. The nice thing is that it’s very easy to print custom bingo cards from your computer – you can simple use some cheap bingo card maker software to do the job – and the best thing is, you can use that software again and again, either at future New Year celebrations, or for other celebrations or holidays.
By: Sunil Tanna
