Going green for St Pat's day

The embassy of Ireland is offering a variety of activities for St. Patrick's Day on March 17. [Photo/Weibo of discoverireland]

After Chinese New Year, St. Patrick's Day on March 17 might be the most widely celebrated festival in the world.

As the saying goes "Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day", including, it seems, the Chinese. This year, the embassy of Ireland is planning a series of celebrations to give Chinese people a taste of Irish culture.

Music is an important part of Irish culture and world-renowned Irish accordionist Sharon Shannon will perform in Beijing's Forbidden City Concert Hall on March 10 and Shanghai Grand Theater on March 12.

Popular Irish folk singer Cara Dillon will tour the country for the second time since her first visit to China in 2013. This time she is bringing her new album A Thousand Hearts to her Chinese fans in five cities — Chengdu, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan from March 11 to 15.

Irish folk music group Cuisle will be giving concert in Beijing on the night of the St. Patrick's Day on March 17. They will be playing together with students at China Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing on March 18, and take part in an informal traditional Irish music session in Beijing on March 20.

Another highlight of the celebration is Ireland's Global Greening Initiative, where landmarks around the world will turn green on St. Patrick's Day. This year, the Oriental Pearl TV tower in Shanghai and the Canton Tower in Guangzhou will turn green.

Art exhibitions Golden Fleece and a Meditation in a Time of War will take place in Beijing this month, both of which present visual art inspired by the poems of Ireland's W.B. Yeats.

Related:

A sea of lanterns at Zigong festival

Bike-riding activity held to celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year in Brazil