St. Patrick’s Day as a religious holiday, being the feast day of one, St. Patrick, dates back thousands of years in Ireland. As a religious and bank holiday, only as recently as 1995 did Dublin capitalize on the holiday’s worldwide popularity.

The traditions that most Americans associate with the holiday, particularly parades, were not begun until the mid-1800s when a huge emigration from Ireland resulted from the potato famine.

The Irish were met with overwhelming scorn for their accents and Roman Catholic religious beliefs when they arrived. They were characterized by newspapers of the time as little more than drunken animals. However, it soon occurred to the immigrants that because of their large population, they held a tremendous swing vote for up and coming politicians. As such, the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City, begun in 1848, suddenly became an event to be seen at for political hopefuls

These are the origins of the same parade held in New York City today. Boasting over 150,000 participants, it is the world’s largest and oldest civilian parade.

But why experience the joy of being Irish just for one day a year? Although parades and green beer might not be available year round, buíochas le Dia ("Thank God" in Gaelic), Irish culture and cheer is just a near as an old schoolhouse in Rockaway Township.

IAANJ

Founded in 1974, the Irish American Association of Northwest Jersey (IAANJ) was established by a group of Irish immigrants who had relocated to this area ,as well as people of Irish decent currently in residence.

The association purchased the Cultural Center in 1977. The building is the former Mt. Pleasant School.

Then, in 1979, in Wharton, the association organized a parade in honor of St. Patrick. However, by 1990 the parade had outgrown its roots and was moved to Morristown, where the event is held in conjunction with the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick.

The parade is only one of the myriad of events and activities that the association offers. Weekly, they host classes in step dance for children, Irish language, Ceili and Set dance for adults, and music and singing lessons.

In addition to these, the association hosts a monthly Traditional Music Seisiun (Session) and Ceili. Then, periodically throughout the year it sponsors or co-sponsors a spring dance, St. Patrick’s Day parade and social, Lá Gaeilge-an Irish language immersion day and Feis-Irish cultural festival.

For information about any of their events and for directions, visit www.iaanj.com or call 973-366-5980.

Ceili and Set

Ceili, pronounced kay-lee, has two meanings. Ceili is both the name of a form of Irish folk dancing and the name of the social dance event itself. So Ceili dances are done at a Ceili. Also at Ceilis, you may encounter Set dances. Set dancing is typically done in sets of four couples in a square, whereas Ceili dances are structured in a circle, a group, lines or columns. They are similar to other forms of folk dancing including Contra and English, but with more complex footwork.

These dances are a far cry from "Riverdance," or your high school prom. They are fast-paced and will leave you feeling exuberant afterwards. You’ll likely only sit down to catch your breath. And while most dances are with partners, there is no need to bring one as the custom is generally to switch partners every dance.

The association hosts one Ceili a month, usually on the fourth Sunday. The event goes from 4 to 8 p.m. with lessons beginning at 3. Their weekly Ceili and Set Dance class for adults is held on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 9.

Irish language

Is fearr Gaeilge bhriste ná Béarla cliste. Broken Irish is better than clever English — or so say the Irish. But attend an Irish Language class at the Cultural Center and you just may find yourself a convert. While the language looks quite foreign to an English eye, all those vowels and curious consonant combinations, there are pronunciation tricks to quickly allow articulation.

The language holds allure for a variety of people for very personal reasons. Although it is the first official language of Ireland, according to the 2006 census only 40 percent of the population claim to be competent in Irish. This percent rises to 70 percent in the Gaeltacht regions, located primarily in the west of the country.

So why learn Irish unless you plan to travel there? Well, you can learn great Irish toasts and blessings. Just think of the hit that you’ll be a hit at the dinner table or pubs on St. Patrick’s Day.

To get you started, try these simple Irish toasts this year: Slánte, meaning "to your health," or Céad Míle Fáilte, meaning "100,000 welcomes."

The association’s classes for all levels of speakers are held Monday evenings at 6:30 and Saturday mornings starting on April 5 at 11.

Coming events

This year’s parade starts at noon on Saturday, March 15, in Morristown at the corner of South Street and James Street. The parade route is South Street to Atno Avenue. Prior to the parade, a Mass will start at 10 a.m. at the Church of the Assumption, off Maple Avenue in Morristown. Attendance is slated to be around 50,000, including both spectators and participants, with around 20 bands expected.

Aside from the association, this area will also be host to Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, a weekend celebration of Irish music, dance, song and language at the Parsippany Hilton. This is the largest gathering of Irish traditional musicians and dancers in North America. There will be classes offered in a variety of traditional Irish instruments, Irish language, singing and Set and Ceili dances, in addition to a banquet and evening Ceili’s. More information can be found at www.cceconvention2008.org.

However you choose to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day or weekly celebrate your Irish side at the Cultural Center, remember it’s supposed to be fun. So why not try out a few traditional Irish toasts this year, or finally give in and wear green at the least. Think of the holiday as a chance to try something new, embrace a different culture, all with the safety of knowing that you only need eat corned beef and cabbage once a year.