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
Most people are familiar with the game of bingo. It is played with bingo cards containg a five by five grid of squares, with each square containing a word or number. Each player is given a bingo card, and marks off the squares from their card when the corresponding number is announced by the bingo caller. In most games, the winner is the first player to achieve a line of five items across the card (regardless of whether that line is horizontal, vertical or diagonal) and call “bingo”. For a longer game, other target patterns than a single line can be required, for example two lines of five, a postage stamp shape of three by three squares, all squares marked off, etc.
Today versions of bingo, played exactly like the “standard” game, but using cards printed with words or phrases instead of numbers, are become increasingly popular. No doubt this is in part because with the helper of a computer and bingo card maker software, it’s dead easy to produce these cards! However, the main reason why these versions of bingo have become popular is that they can be used in schools and education, as well as in community events and gatherings celebrating both religious and secular holidays.
St. Patrick’s Day (usually March 17th, although the date may move if it falls within Holy Week), which is annual event of honor of one of Ireland’s patron saints but has subsequently become a celebration of all things Irish, is an ideal occasion for playing bingo. In St. Patrick’s Day bingo, the game is of course played using bingo cards printed with words or phrases relating to Ireland or Irish culture. It’s a lot of fun to play, inexpensive, and suitable for people of all ages to play together – may be you should give it a try?
By: Sunil Tanna
