Re: Shamrock Day, anyone?

In article <fqkv63$5m4$1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
Keith F. Lynch <kfl@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>Harry Mary Andruschak <adoptsoldcats@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> And more and more schools will be celebrating Shamrock Day (17
>> March) to avoid the use of that awful sectarian word "Saint", thus
>> protecting the Children from whatever.

Do you suppose it's less protecting people from the influence of
saints (as if!) and more using a phrase that more customers will
recognize?  

In the universe of _Nightmare Before Christmas_, in which all the
secular holidays (if I may so describe them) dwell together in a
wood and the patron of Christmas is not Jesus but Santa Claus
and the patron of Easter is again not Jesus but the Easter Bunny,
the patron of March 17th is not St. Patric but the leprechaun.
>
>They'd better change the name of numerous US cities while they're at
>it, then.  Especially in California, unless "San," "Santo," or "Santa"
>is sufficient disguise for that word.
>
>(Why is Kris Kringle "Santa Claus" rather than "Santo Claus"?  Doesn't
>the former imply that he's female?)

Nope.  Wrong language.  Wrong subfamily in fact.  Comes from Dutch
"Sinter Klaas," St. Nicholas.

Dorothy J. Heydt
Albany, California
djheydt@[EMAIL PROTECTED]