5 Things You Didn't Know About St Patrick's Day

Happy St Patrick's Day! Are you wearing green? Here are five things you didn't know about St Patrick's Day:

The first St Patrick's Day parade wasn't in Ireland. It was held in Boston in 1737, but that was more of an impromptu we're drunk and Irish let's march down the street sort of thing. New York City had the first planned one in 1762. The first parade wasn't held in Dublin until 1931.

The Irish government once banned drinking on St Patricks Day. They passed a law forcing pubs to close in 1927, and until 1961 the only legal place to drink on March 17th was the RDS Dog Show! They even banned advertising on the holiday, in an attempt to focus on traditional Irish music and religious services. Luckily, the drinking ban was repealed in the 1970s.

St Patrick was originally associated with the colour blue. Light blue was the traditional national colour of Ireland, and 'St Patrick's blue' ribbons were used for the Order of St Patrick medals. No one is quite sure how it switched to green. Some feel it had to do with the saint's use of the three-leaf clover as a symbol of the Holy Trinity, while others attribute it to the independence movement of the 18th century. Green ribbons were reported at St Patrick's Day parties as early as 1681, however.

St Patrick's Day is a public holiday in Montserrat. The tiny island is known as the 'Emerald Isle of the Caribbean' because it was founded by Irish refugees from St Kitts and Nevis. The holiday commemorates a failed slave uprising that took place on March 17th, 1768. St Patrick's Day is also a public holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

St Patrick was not Irish, and not named Patrick. The Catholic Church says he was born in Scotland in 385 AD. He was captured and sold into slavery, but escaped. He was ordained as Patrick (or Palladius) in France. According to some sources, his original name was Maewyn Succat.

Photo from here.

What Pilots Want You to Know

There's a lot we take for granted when flying, so here are a few things that pilots really want you to remember on your next trip:

“If you’re going to recline your seat, for God’s sake, please check behind you first. You have no idea how many laptops are broken every year by boorish passengers who slam their seat back with total disregard to what’s going on behind them.”

John Nance

“The smoothest place to sit is often over or near the wing. The bumpiest place to sit is in the back. A plane is like a seesaw. If you’re in the middle, you don’t move as much.”

Patrick Smith

“Why can’t you use your cell phones? What can happen is 12 people will call someone just before landing, and I can get a false reading on my instruments saying that we are higher than we really are.”

Jim Tilmon, retired American Airlines pilot

“We ask you to put up the window shade so the flight attendants can see outside in an emergency, to assess if one side is better for an evacuation. It also lets light into the cabin if it goes dark and helps passengers get oriented if the plane flips or rolls over.”

Patrick Smith

“The glory days of aviation are long gone. Airline companies are cutting wages and conditions wherever they can, and the crew are expected to do more than they once did. As aircraft get more fuel efficient, we fly longer distances than in the past, often with minimum rest, working at hours when most people are asleep.”

Airline pilot based in Sydney

“How tired we are a lot of the time! We can go away on a five-day trip and start work at 5am daily, waking around 3.30am, and then fly four or five sectors over a ten- or 11-hour day, dealing with inclement weather, passenger delays, mechanical problems, tight schedules and no proper meal.”

Qantas pilot

Read the rest at iafrica.com

Photo by jurvetson.

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Updates

As the devastation from the Japan earthquake and tsunami unfolds, we'll keep you updated with what's happening in Tokyo, Sendai, Fukushimi and other areas of Japan at the moment.

Tokyo: there has been major infrastructure damage, and train and subway schedules have been reduced to save power. Service to Narita airport has been suspended. There is a shortage of electricity, food and water. There are continued aftershocks that could reach as high as 7 on the richter scale. Tokyo is at the moment... (read more)

UPDATE: Here's an updated article about the effect of the Japan earthquake on travel.

Word Travels Forum Round-Up #15

It's Monday! Here are the busiest questions on the Word Travels forum for this week:

Thailand itinerary ideas

Weather in India

Nightlife in Kos

Halong Bay tours in Vietnam

Remember you can find many travel-related answers on our busy forums, and ask your own questions as well!

Photo by mlinksva.

Win a Trip to San Francisco!

Attention chocoholics! Ghirardelli is giving away a free trip for 4 to San Francisco with all the sugar-laden trimmings imaginable!

Open to US residents over 21. Enter here.

Photo by hiimniko.

PS - San Francisco was named one of our Top 5 Chocolate Cities!

4 Things You Didn't Know about Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is well underway in New Orleans, so for those of us that didn't make it to Louisiana, here are 4 things you didn't know about Mardi Gras:

What are krewes? Krewes are the groups that organise parties and parades around Mardi Gras. They meet in secret throughout the year, then appear in masks on their floats. Rex and Zulu are the most famous, but each has its own style and traditions.

Why is everything green, gold and purple? The traditional Mardi Gras colours were inspired by Russian royalty. Russian Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff visited New Orleans in 1872, and the Rex (the original Mardi Gras krewe) liked the combination so much they incorporated them. The colours symbolise justice (purple), faith (green), and power (gold).

What's the deal with kingcakes? Kingcakes have been a symbol of New Orleans since the 18th century, when French and Spanish colonists. The dough is braided before it is baked, and then filled with Bavarian Cream, apple or strawberry jam, and a trinket that one lucky person will find. Whoever finds it is responsible for hosting the next party!

Why do they throw beaded necklaces? One of the krewes dressed up as Santa and threw beaded necklaces at the crowd in the 1880s, and it was so popular other krewes started copying them. Back then the beads were made of glass. It was in the 1970s that they were replaced with the cheap plastic necklaces thrown today, which is about the same time women started flashing to earn them.

Inspired by Iceland

Now this is how you promote a country. Check out this great video from Inspired by Iceland.