The Significance of Tradition

“I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead, his eye to watch,
his might to stay, his ear to hearken to my need…”

From childhood, Saint Patrick’s Day has been a family celebration. Mom would cook corned beef, root vegetables, and cabbage to perfection. She would let me help assemble the sticky, buttermilk-infused Irish Soda Bread dough, and I would wait impatiently for the baking loaf to get a delicious golden-brown crust. The reward lay in slathering a layer of butter on an extra thick slice of this traditional bread that I looked forward to once a year. Salty and savory smells and flavors, Waterford crystal on the finely set table, Irish music gleefully filling the room, and green clover décor in abundance, brought magic to the often-bleak weathered 17th of March.

All the years we were married in Washington, we continued the celebration with my parents. When we moved, we brought the tradition to Montana and partook every year with dear friends. The event took on feast qualities as we would add even more fun Irish flavors.

However, an epiphany was had this year, as we considered our Saint Paddy’s Day observance: we live in a Nordic nation with zero connection to Irish traditions. This put a spotlight on the melting-pot status of the United States. I grew up acknowledging all sorts of interesting holidays or at least going to festivals or park concerts that paid homage to the many different folk expressions of our nation’s diverse populace. The U.S. is very unique, indeed.

I’ll take you on a small journey of what made March 17th extra memorable this year.

Corned Beef:‍ ‍
Did you know that brisket is the cut of meat from which corned beef is made? Brisket – this cut that is understood collectively in a nation of BBQ enthusiasts – is not readily available here. At least, not in our small community. I did some internet sleuthing and found a local meat processor an hour away in the mountains. Clayton had an email exchange to verify that they did, in fact, know what we were asking for and then off he went to pick up the slab of beef for our Saint Paddy needs. If you ever want to brine your own corned beef, we enjoy this recipe.

Irish Soda Bread:‍ ‍
This simple loaf of bread, baked in a Dutch oven, is delicious. Tradition demands that it should be made from four ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk. If you add other things, some old Irish lady may accuse you of making a teacake. This summer I hiked with a group from church up above our home to a hillside farm. I kept brushing against some sort of dried plant that emitted a slight licorice scent. I asked one of the men and he explained that it was “karve”, which they use in baking or cheese. I took some and chewed on it… it was caraway! So I harvested a few stalks and removed the seeds in to a small jar. The last several years, Clayton and I have made one loaf of plain soda bread and one with raisins, caraway, and a touch of sugar. How perfect that I could get this flavorful seed from the land!

Mustard:
It is amazing how this little holiday made me recognize all I take for granted. Next time you go to shop for mustard, even at a small grocery, look at your options! It’s absolutely astonishing! We could not find whole-grain mustard to accompany the corned beef. Even the German man I work with who has lived here for decades (and should know his mustard) didn’t know where to find what I consider a common condiment. Since scarcity is indeed, the mother of invention, we opted to make our own, but needed to find mustard seeds. A colleague suggested we visit the Asiatisk Matbutikk in the town of Gol, a half-hour away. BINGO – found them. Also, you should be making your own mustard… it’s unbelievably easy and so delicious!

The Snake Bite:
To our surprise, Guinness is carried in the local grocery store. This dark and rich beer is a necessary ingredient for the Snake Bite; a yummy, fudgy cake, with cream cheese – ginger beer frosting. I did not grow up with this, but it’s become a favorite in our home. All enjoyed this tasty treat next to the warm fire and the candles burning in the windows.

Sharing Tradition:
The best part of this entire holiday was sharing our traditions with the couple who invited us here. We started the evening with a glass of Guinness as the kids shared the story of Saint Patrick: the escaped slave who returned to his Irish captors with the gospel of Christ’s forgiveness and love. They pointed out the green clovers they had made and hung throughout the hearth room, as representations of Saint Patrick’s parable of the Trinity. For the meal blessing, I read the Hymn of Saint Patrick.

Our friends had never partaken in anything like this gathering, nor tasted the flavors. They were amazed. I recognized in myself an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and joy in sharing this part of our hearts. A special dinner that always makes for a joyful and meaningful evening in our home, became some sort of supernatural transaction in light of us being so far away from our own culture. I felt overwhelmed with gratitude over every bite and with the smiles of our guests. The delighted squeals of our children, as dessert was sliced up felt like such a generous reward for all the effort. I remained in a state of elation, even after we did the dishes and turned the Irish folk music off the speaker.

Having every day become a little more ‘normal’, while all the old memories remind us of what ‘normal’ really is, is a strange reality. This dinner was more than the making of a new memory, the evening reinforced the acceptance of living in a state of constant uncertainty, even while our certainty of God’s goodness grows. Maybe this is what it is like to have the perspective of a child… everything becomes mystery and curiosity, so grand and sweet to taste and touch; this is the thrill of discovering the gift that hides within each moment.

Christ sits at the table and beckons us to dine and wonder at the clinking of glasses, chiming laughter and twinkling of eyes… can you hear his love song as you gather for a meal: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  ‍ ‍

“Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.”

- Hymn of Saint Patrick