Although St. Patrick's day landed on a Friday, and Animalians had a general dislike of alcohol, the celebration in Animalia wasn't too bad. 'Knowledge is Power' was an acceptable substitute for drinking, and there was a lot to learn about. One common, yet understandable, mistake was the mixing up of the Irish and Scottish cultures, but that could be forgivable due to ignorance.
Not only was there information on St. Patrick, who he was and what he accomplished, there was also information on the Celts and the Vikings, two pagan cultures that helped shape Ireland. The Celts were the original tribal inhabitants, while the Vikings, a.k.a. The Norse, were tribal Germanic people from Denmark, Iceland, Sweden.
One of the activities of the celebration was the telling of Irish and Norse folktales, ranging from the Ring of Truth, to the tale of Loki and the Giant. Loki and the Giant also led to the Nordic version of The Origin of the Seasons. There was also Collectors Editions of books such as Beowulf, the Poetic Edda, and the Tolkien Saga (a collective name for the Silmarillion, the Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings), King Arthur, the Viking Sagas, and similar books.
There were also several video games on sale, such as The Elder Scrolls, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, and other games inspired or based off of Irish folktales or Norse mythology. It also a good place to pick up Celtic artwork that was available, as well as explanations of what the art was supposed to be.
Living dioramas of Celtic and Norse life was a good thing to see in there. The big thing that these dioramas had was a reenactment of a tale of a Celtic tribe fighting off Viking raiders. There were also models of famous Irish monuments such as Stonehenge.
The biggest treat, for the carnivores at least, was the corned beef that was traditionally served on St. Patrick's day. There were also various traditional Irish dishes, which most other Americans didn't know about, which made it more interesting.
There were also clay charms marked with witchcraft marks that were available for sale, as well as a display on what they were, and what they were supposed to mean. Another thing that was being sold was herbal remedies, common and rare. There was also a chance of meeting a "leprechaun" who would grant a "lucky token", which could be used at a Pot 'o' Gold Slot machine which would grant anything from a free meal to a free conversion, but that was an exceptionally rare prize.
The final event of the evening was a showing of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, but it was described in the paper as "A midspring chuckle." Animalians especially liked the performance.
All in All, the Animalia St. Patrick's Day festival was a lot of fun, and a great way to prepare for Spring Break at Mieni Atoll. Abby and Co., after enjoying the fun to be had, had to pack for the tour of Mieni Atoll, which they were looking forward to.