St. Patrick’s Day

Who was St. Patrick and why do we have a day named after him?

Saint Patrick’s Day is the feast day of Saint Patrick, the patron saint – someone who has devoted their whole life to something greater than themselves and who worked hard to make the world a better place — of Ireland, and a day of cultural and religious celebration for Irish people.

It is celebrated on March 17 all over Ireland and everywhere in the world where Irish people or their descendants live. The feasting and celebrations include traditional Irish music, drinking beer, and eating bacon and cabbage.

Green is the color that is associated with Saint Patrick’s Day as it is the national color of Ireland. People often wear green on that day or have some type of shamrock on their clothing. A tradition of the day is to pinch those who are not wearing green! The first St. Patrick’s Day parade in Ireland was held in Waterford in 1903. New York City has a large parade on Saint Patrick’s Day.

Who was he?

OK but exactly who was Patrick and why is he a saint?

Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Much of what is known about Saint Patrick comes from his book Declaration, which is mostly biographical. It is believed that he was born in Roman Britain in the fourth century, into a wealthy Romano-British family.

His father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest in the Christian church. According to the Declaration, he was kidnapped at the age of 16 by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland.

He spent six years there working as a shepherd and during this time he found God. The Declaration says that God told Patrick to flee to the coast, where a ship would be waiting to take him home. After making his way home, Patrick went on to become a priest.

According to tradition, Patrick returned to Ireland to convert the non-Christian Irish to Christianity. The Declaration says that he spent many years preaching in the northern half of Ireland and helped convert thousands to Christianity.

Patrick’s efforts against the non-Christians were eventually turned into a legend in which he drove “snakes” out of Ireland. Since Ireland never had any snakes, one theory about this story is that God used Saint Patrick to drive the non-Christian religions out of Ireland.

Tradition holds that he died on March 17, 461, and was buried at Downpatrick, a town south of Belfast in County Down. Over the following centuries, many legends grew about Patrick and he became Ireland’s foremost saint.

Celebrations

St. Patrick’s Day parades in Ireland date from the late 19th century. Because of the importance of the day, the celebrations in Dublin have, since 1996, been extended to a week-long event called St. Patrick’s Festival, with a fireworks display (Skyfest), open-air music, street theatre and the traditional parade. Many Irish people wear a bunch of shamrock on their lapels or hats on this day, while children wear tri-color (green, white, and orange) badges. Girls traditionally wore green ribbons in their hair and many still do.

The first civic and public celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day in America took place in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737. The first Saint Patrick’s Day celebrated in New York City was held at the Crown and Thistle Tavern in 1756.

Since then, the New York celebration has become the largest Saint Patrick’s Day parade in the world! Every year more than 150,000 marchers participate, including bands, firefighters, military and police groups, county associations, emigrant societies, and social and cultural clubs. The parade marches up 5th Avenue in Manhattan and it attracts roughly two million people.

Did you know…

•  Leprechauns, tiny Celtic fairies, are usually associated with Saint Patrick’s Day.

•  The shamrock, a three-leaf clover, is said to have been used by Saint Patrick to explain the Holy Trinity.

•  Nearly one-fourth of the Irish nation emigrated to the United States after the potato famine in Ireland. Initially, the Irish were looked down upon by citizens of the U.S.

•  Corned beef and cabbage, the meal that is associated with St. Patrick’s Day, was begun by the poor Irish immigrants in the U.S. Corned beef was cheaper meat than ham, which was eaten in Ireland.

•  Legend says that each leaf of the four-leaf clover has a meaning: luck, love, faith, and hope.

•  The odds of someone finding a four-leaf clover are about 1 in 10,000.

•  Chicago first dyed its river green in 1962.

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