The day following the publishing of this article is March 17th. This date is now known as Saint Patrick’s Day. In this article I’m going to go over why and how this is, as well as some things about this holiday you might want to consider.
Saint Patrick was a Christian missionary and bishop during the 5th century. During his lifetime he claimed to have been taken by Irish pirates to Ireland to work as a slave, herding animals for six years, eventually escaping back to Britain and reconnecting with his parents. He later returned to Ireland to spread Christianity in the north and western areas of Ireland following his incorporation into the Romano-British clergy. It is estimated that he lived from 385-461 AD, and became renowned as the patron saint of Ireland by the 600s.
In legend it is said that he possessed powerful abilities which he used to protect Ireland and help it prosper. He is the primary patron saint of Ireland, and interestingly the patron saint of Nigeria as well. Saint Patrick’s day, the 17th of March is the date of his death. It is speculated that he died of natural causes due to his old age, but it isn’t clear-cut what brought upon his death. In the seventeenth century this day was recognized and made an official Christian feast holiday. It was created to cement the life of Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland into history.
The two main symbols of Saint Patrick’s day that are most prominent are the color green and clovers. The clover comes from tales of Saint Patrick calling upon its powers to help the people of Ireland, but the color green is more so from the legend of Goídel Glas which attempts to explain the origins of the countries’ people in the area.
Saint Patrick’s day is celebrated across the world, and widely celebrated in the United States. A surprising thing I learned about that fact is that Saint Patrick’s day is not a legal holiday in the United States. One last thing I wanted to touch on about Saint Patrick’s day is its negative characteristics. Some people choose to celebrate Saint Patrick’s day by being a disturbance in public places through rude behavior or drunkenness and the wearing of stereotypical and demeaning costumes which don’t represent Irish culture correctly e.g. The Leprechaun. Another controversial subject surrounding Saint Patrick’s day was the ban of LGBTQ groups attending the parades in New York and Boston that had a relatively recent reversal. To clear this up it was not because they disliked or wished to discriminate against LGBTQ groups, it was because they did not represent the values that the Irish wished to put forward which would be undermined by their flashiness.
In conclusion Saint Patrick’s day is a holiday with a rich history, originating from the spread of legend and Christian faith that has developed and evolved into a day with many complex views. As a side note, the shamrock oreo mcflurry is so good.
