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When I was writing my book last year, one of the honors I had was to sit down with people from various cultural backgrounds and listen to their stories and traditions. Experiencing firsthand accounts from those who lived in Ireland and witnessed its traditions being brought to life was truly invaluable, and I'm immensely grateful for the opportunity. I've learned that it is one thing to hear about some of these recipes, experiences, and activities from the internet or other people who have learned about them, and it's another to hear them from those who have lived them. It really gave me a greater sense of pride and care for sharing these liturgical living traditions, especially when they are so intimately tied to a culture, because these are people's living experiences of the faith. These traditions communicate a person's story, and an expression of how people gave God and the saints praise, and are more than mere activities.
One of the Irish traditions that was shared with me and is typically not done much anymore but used to be done in generations past is the clover pin. On the morning of St. Patrick's Day, no matter what day it fell on, everyone would celebrate by first going to Mass. While everyone was getting ready to go to church, the woman of the house would ask her husband or children to run outside and pick her fresh clovers to wear on her blouse or dress. This simple gesture ties together a feast day with faith and pride of country. And the way the children remember picking clovers for their mother is an endearing memory to behold, and I thought we could imitate and bring this back to life.
The materials and steps are very easy to do and follow along with. Let's make a DIY Clover Pin to wear on the feast of St. Patrick.
If you'd like to watch the tutorial, you can do that here!
Materials
Tape
Safety Pin
Clovers
Scissors
Twine or Ribbon
Directions
Step One: Tape your clovers together by wrapping a small piece of tape all the way around it until the clovers are secure.
Step Two: Wrap the twine around the tape. To start, lay the end of the twine along the tape, then wrap the twine up and down the length of the clover stems.
Step Three: Tape or glue the twine to secure the end.
Step Four: Pin the clover to your blouse or dress and head off to your St. Patrick's Day Mass.
Creating a Clover Pin is a delightful way to celebrate the feast of St. Patrick. This simple craft not only provides a festive activity, but also adds a touch of homemade charm to your liturgical living. So, gather your materials, unleash your creativity, and enjoy crafting your very own Clover Pin.
And if you're not able to make your own pin because you don't have access to clovers, but you'd like to wear something with St. Patrick flair, we have this lovely necklace available. Just tap the picture!
Did you enjoy making this craft? Let me know how it went by signing up to leave a comment.
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