So Today is St. Patrick's Day and I hope you are sporting the wearing of
something Green! A Holiday
Review.
So what do we know about St. Patrick and what is just added fun for all of
us?
Truth be told St. Patrick was a 5th Century missionary from England, sent
to bring the message of the Gospels to Ireland. St. Patrick's Day is
celebrated today because it was the day he died in circa 492 (no one is sure
about the year).
Stained Glass Window of St. Patrick from Junction City Ohio , found on
Widipedia
Patrick's start in Ireland was not a pleasant one, he was captured by
Irish pirates and brought to Ireland as a slave. He was about 16 years
old at the time and not a particularly devout follower of the Christ.
His time as a slave in Ireland would lead him to find his faith as a
Christian and from that point onwards he was quick to declare that
Christianity and belief in God was the way to live.
Historians are not sure of too much regarding Patrick, as much of the
written works that speak of him no longer exist. The earliest writings
seems to be a letter to Pope Boniface IV around the year
613.
So how do we have all these "symbols" that are used extensively to
celebrate St. Patrick's Day today?
Patrick is credited with teaching the Irish about the Holy Trinity using
the shamrock as a way to explain the ideology/theology of 3 unique persons
in 1 God. The pagan people in Ireland had many triple deities, so
using the shamrock aided him in his evangelization
efforts.
Patrick is also given the credit for ridding Ireland of it's snakes.
If you look at historical texts you will find that another Irish saint
should have that credit(and even that is questionable). It was only in
the 13th century that credit seems to have shifted to St. Patrick. In
fact there evidence that Ireland never had snakes, so there was nothing for
him to banish.
There is also the tale of his walking stick. No doubt as he
travelled, he used a staff or walking stick to aid his footsteps. As
he was moving from place to place in Ireland, he came to a place now known
as Aspatria. Legend has it that he stuck his walking stick into the
ground and it took so long to teach the people here, that his stick had
taken root by the time he was ready to move on.
What is certain is that there isn't a whole lot of St. Patrick's Story that
can be held as truth, but the 300 churches and hundreds of thousands that
were baptized by him helped make Ireland a Christian nation.
Today we are not so religious about St. Patrick's Day, rather we love to
hang onto the "fun" side of Irish culture and traditions. Because St.
Patrick was given credit for using the Shamrock for teaching purposes, and
its green, both of these became stalwarts of the Irish identity beyond the
borders of Ireland proper. One of Ireland's claims to fame is that it
is the land of a thousand different shades of green! If you have ever
seen an picture of Ireland from the air, you will know that is true.
But let's have some fun now....Why do we wear
green on St. Patrick's Day?
Well, this hails back to the belief in Leprechauns, which is said to come
from some of the Druid folklore (pre St. Patrick). These Leprechauns
were: little people, with magical powers that could serve both good and
evil. The Celtic folktales, told of their trickery that would keep
their much fabled treasures safe. It is also said that the wearing of
the green is directly related to these little creatures in that they are not
able to see the color green. Therefore you were safe from their
trickery if you wore the green!
Photo credit Spencer Platt/Getty
New York St. Patrick's Day Parade 2015
Everyone seems to be wearing green with sayings like "Kiss me I'm
Irish!" In past years, when there isn't a pandemic to keep us away,
there were parades and music marking St. Patrick's Day. The first St.
Patrick's Day parade according to History.com was held in New York City in
1895. (There is a debate that there may have been a St. Patrick's Day Parade
held in St. Augustine, Florida earlier than 1895) No doubt many Irish
immigrants (who came during the potato famine in Ireland 1845) were the
inspiration for this reveling of cultural identity in their new
home. It was a balm to them to celebrate their heritage even though
time were tough and not everyone welcomed the Irish.
While we think of corned beef and cabbage as being a typical Irish
Dinner, the truth is that in Ireland they will have Ham and Cabbage. When
the Irish came to America, many were very poor so they substituted Corned
beef for the Ham (it was cheaper). Today, this is a staple meal to
serve for St. Patrick's Day Dinner.
As with many things in North America, we have made St. Patrick's Day our
own. We can see people enjoying green beer or drinking the traditional
Guinness while enjoying Irish step dancers and marching
bands.
Chicago even dyes their river green in honor of St. Patrick's Day.
Now that is a clever trick worthy of any leprechauns in the city.
St. Patrick's Day has become a day not just for the Irish, but for anyone
who loves a good time, a great party and a reason to celebrate. You
don't have to be Irish to enjoy all the sights and sounds of a wonderful day
that just happens to come on March 17th.
After a long winter, it's nice to have something "Green" to
celebrate. Wear your Shamrocks and Green with pride and have a Happy
St. Patrick's Day!
Some lovely items for your home to help you celebrate everything Irish.
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