The Real History of St. Patrick’s Day
When you think of St. Patrick’s Day, you might think of green beer, necklaces from shot glasses that say “Kiss me, I’m Irish” and everyone suddenly talking about how Irish they are. That’s all well and good, but you may not know much about the origin of the holiday or the saint it celebrates. Well, take off that stupid hat, let’s educate ourselves.
Who was Saint Patrick?
Regarded as thepatron saint of Ireland , Saint Patrick was actually born in Banna Venta Berniaia, a city in Roman Britain, sometime in the late 300s AD. That’s right, Patrick was not Irish, and his name was not Patrick either. It was Mayvin Sukkat, but he did not care, so he decided to continue to be called Patricius. In fact, he had many nicknames throughout his life: many knew him as Magon, others as Sukket, and some as Cotirtiac. But we’ll just call him Patrick, like everyone else.
His father, Calpurnius, was a deacon in the early Christian church, but Patrick himself did not really believe. It wasn’t until he was captured by Irish pirates at the age of 16 and a shepherd for six years that he decided to convert to Christianity. While in the northeast of Ireland , Patrick studied the Irish language and culture before trying to escape back to the UK. But Patrick clearly did not manage to escape, because he was again captured. This time the French.
He was held in France, where he learned all about monasticism before he was released and sent home to Britain, where he continued to study Christianity until he was twenty. In the end, Patrick claimed that he had a vision that told him to bring Christianity to the Irish, who were predominantly pagans and druids at the time, so Patrick returned to Ireland and brought a large old bag of Christianity with him.
However, when Patrick returned to Ireland, he and his preaching methods were discouraged, so he had to leave and land on some of the small islands off the coast. There he began to develop followers, and he eventually made his way to the mainland to spread Christian ideologies throughout Ireland for years to come. During this time, Patrick baptized thousands of people (some say 100,000), ordained new priests, ordained women to monasticism, converted the sons of kings in the region, and helped to form over 300 churches.
Separating fact from fiction
Folklore also tells that Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland, but as cool as it sounds, in fact, there were never any snakes on the island. But Patrick may be responsible for popularizing the shamrock or that three-leafed plant that you see everywhere on days like St. Patrick’s.
According to legend, Patrick used it to teach the Christian concept of the Holy Trinity to the Irish. They already had triple deities and valued the number three highly, so Patrick’s use of the shamrock may have helped him gain more popularity with the Irish.
Why the holiday and when did it start?
Today the Patrician is known to most as Saint Patrick. Although not technically canonized by the Catholic Church , he is respected throughout the Christian world. But why a holiday? Why is it always March 17th? What’s with the green? And why do we regard non-Irishmen and snake charmers as a symbol of Ireland?
St Paddy’s Day began as a religious holiday in the 17th century to commemorate the life of St Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. This “holiday” always fell on the anniversary of Patrick’s death, which was believed to be March 17, AD 461. In the early 18th century, Irish immigrants brought this tradition to the American colonies, and it was there that St. Patrick became a symbol of the Irish heritage and culture that he is today. As more and more Irish people crossed the Atlantic, the celebration of the Day of the holiday gradually grew in popularity. So much so that the first ever St. Patrick’s Day paradewas held in Boston in 1737 .
By the mid-19th century, the United States experienced a massive influx of Irish immigrants hoping to avoid the Great Famine . This turned a relatively small celebration of Holiday Day into a full-blown celebration in which people wanted to participate, whether they were Irish or not. In 1903, the holiday became a national holiday in Ireland, and over time it turned into what is now called St. Patrick’s Day .
Since then, the holiday has been celebrated all over the world in countries such as the USA, Great Britain, Canada, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Russia and even throughout Asia. As it turns out, St. Paddy’s Day is so popular that it is believed to be celebrated in more countries than any other national holiday. What was once a pretty chilly afternoon with mass gathering, parade watching, and hearty dinner with family has grown into the world’s largest party.
Why is everyone wearing green?
If you’re wondering why people wear green, this isn’t just finger trap protection. It dates back to the Irish Rebellion , when Irish soldiers wore green as they fought off the British in their trademark red. Prior to this, the color associated with St. Patrick and the Day of the Holiday was actually blue. The song “The Wearing of the Green” , sung by soldiers during the 1798 war , changed all that and made shamrock green the primary color of Ireland.
Since then, people have worn green on St. Patrick’s Day as a sign of solidarity. And when Chicago first dyed river green in 1962 , the practice of wearing and decorating green became part of pop culture. It has now become common practice to knock out the best greens in mid-March.
Why does everyone drink?
Okay, then why drink all this? This is partly a historical subtext, partly we succumbed to advertising, and partly – stereotypes. Initially, on St. Patrick’s Day, or Feast, the restrictions on Lent on that day were lifted, giving Christians a respite on their way to Easter. It was essentially a day to eat and drink as much as you wanted during the celebration, hence the traditional Irish bacon and cabbage dish . But drinking whiskey and beer was not part of the equation. In fact, pubs in Ireland were legally forced to close for holidays until the late 20th century, and drinking alcohol on St. Patrick’s Day was heavily frowned upon until the late 1970s.
Then a huge marketing push from Budweiser in the 80s convinced thirsty revelers that beer drinking and St. Patrick’s Day were one and the same thing. The rest is a drunken story that few seem to remember, as it has all been replaced in our heads with quotes from the Boondock Saints . As in the case of Cinco de Mayo , many people now use the holiday as an excuse for drinking, which generates negative stereotypes due to the misinterpretation of the waste act with Irish culture. But at least now you can proudly take a sip of your Guinness because you know the real history. Sláinte !