St. Patrick's Day + 2nd karaoke casting

Once again, Saint Patrick's Day was celebrated at Maia Secondary School!

 Green was the colour of the day and four- leaf shamrocks covered the walls and hung from the ceiling spreading a joyful spirit.

 Irish music, Irish blessings , trying out one's "Irish luck", to grab a sweet out of the pot of gold , as well as other traditional symbols and decorations of this day were mandatory!

 The second karaoke casting was also part of the activity plan of this day and, as usual, it attracted lots of students (so many that they had no place to sit except on the floor !). Their enthusiastic reaction at the performances of their school mates once again proved how much this activity, organised by the English Club, is appreciated by them.

The pictures below  portray the lively atmosphere and the good mood which was felt at school and the English Club teachers hope everyone may have made the most of this day.

May your thoughts be as glad as shamrocks,

May your heart be as light as a song,

May each day bring you bright, happy hours,

That stay with you all the year long.

                                                      (Irish Blessing)

   

St. Patrick's Day - Bet you didn't know!

Why green on St. Patrick's Day?

St.Patrick's Day

Once more St. Patrick's Day is coming to our school and we are going to celebrate it on the 15th March.
So, don't forget to wear something green or colours related to this celebration.

Traditional Irish Blessings

• Leprechauns, castles, good luck and laughter; Lullabies, dreams and love ever after. Poems and songs with pipes and drums; A thousand welcomes when anyone comes.
• May St. Patrick guard you wherever you go and guide you in whatever you do -- and may his loving protection be a blessing to you always.
• May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields and, until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

St. Patrick's Day 2012

Irish symbols everywhere!

A joyful atmosphere

 The English Club Staff

Singing Irish songs

                                                                     

 Dancing

 

 Students' work

                                        
                                                Trying one's luck and solving puzzles

                                                         Reading Irish blessings

Creative writing competition

Saint Patrick's Day is coming to school

Prepare yourself for the greenest day in ESMAIA!

Saint Patrick's Day is coming on the 16th March to bring you fortune.

Don't forget to dress something green!

St. Patrick's Day at Maia Secondary School

    For the very first time St. Patrick's Day was celebrated at Maia Secondary School and it was a huge success! 
  Green invaded our school and shamrocks grew everywhere. A colourful  rainbow  showed up and the golden pot was there as well.

   Celtic music, playing all day long, contributed to the atmosphere of joy and happiness felt by all those who embraced this Irish festivity.

   Golden coins( made of chocolate, of course!) and many other sweets awaited the lucky ones or, in case of misfortune,  solving puzzles and quizzes about this Irish holiday was another way of getting hold of the sweet contents of the pot.

   Irish blessings were also given in the shape of bookmarks and  an exhibition of the work done by students on this celebration together with videos and slide-shows of Ireland completed the whole picture.

   Appreciate the photo gallery below, which, somehow, tries to illustrate the spirit of this gorgeous day at our school!

 

        We'd like to express our warmest thanks 

      to everybody that contributed  to the success of

     this unforgettable day.

My first Saint Patrick's Day in the USA

St. Patrick's Day, March 17th, Savannah.

As you probably know there are lots of Irish immigrants and people of Irish ancestry in the USA, so Saint Patick's Day is feasted here as if it was an American festivity, with huge and colourful parades, and green everywhere!
In Savannah, Georgia, the parade began at 10h00 and lasted until 2h00 p.m. I really enjoyed every moment. Lots of music, family picnic in every park of the city, people giving kisses and more people :0) The dress code was respected. All you could see was GREEN! What a great day!!!!!!!!!

(Text and photos by Elisabete Carvalho, a Portuguese living in the USA)

Today is the National Day of Ireland

Dress Green, Bring Good Luck to You!

Tomorrow is Saint Patrick's Day. So, Don't forget to wear something GREEN!

Saint Patrick's symbols

Symbols:

Shamrock - The Irish have considered shamrocks as good-luck symbols since earliest times, and today people of many other nationalities also believe they bring good luck.

Leprechaun - A leprechaun is an Irish fairy who looks like a small, old man about 2 feet tall. He is often dressed like a shoemaker, with a crooked hat and a leather apron. According to legend, leprechauns are aloof and unfriendly. They live alone, and pass the time making shoes. They also have a hidden pot of gold!

Color Green - Wearing the color green is considered an act of paying tribute to Ireland. It is said that it also brings good luck, especially when worn on St. Patrick's Day.

Harp - The harp is an ancient musical instrument used in Ireland for centuries. It is also a symbol of Ireland.

St. Patrick's Day Quizz

Dublin goes Green for St. Patrick's Festival 2011

This year Dublin City is going green for St. Patrick’s Festival! To celebrate Ireland’s national holiday, they have launched an initiative called ‘Greening the City,’ asking all businesses and venues to turn their lights green to create a city-wide illumination for the duration of the festival (16th to 20th March).


On the 17th, there will be a parade. In honour of Dublin’s UNESCO City of Literature designation the festival parade will bring specially commissioned short story “Brilliant” by Roddy Doyle, to life on the streets of Dublin.

Inspired by the story; Ireland’s finest performance companies will present the chapters in their own style. Marching bands from Ireland and across the globe will animate the streets with their musical mastery as they march through the heart of Dublin city.

The wearing of the green

Five days left until St. Patrick's Day on March 17th