Saint Patrick’s Day, the day where you get pinched if you aren’t wearing green. But what is the purpose of this holiday? The history of this holiday is often forgotten and replaced with the standard of wearing green.
Saint Patrick was a bishop in Ireland and died on March 17th. He was a Chirstan missionary in Ireland in 1432 and worked to convert the people to Christianity. A lot of what we know about Saint Patrick comes from the Declaration, which he wrote himself.
He was born in Roman Britain in the late 4th century. His father was a deacon in the church and his grandfather was a priest. According to the Declaration he was kidnapped by Irish raiders at the age of 16 and was taken to Gaelic Ireland as a slave. He spent are 6 years being a shepherd and during this time he found God. He wrote in the Declaration that God spoke to him and instructed him to flee to the coast, where he escaped to a monastery in Gaul (France) and then converted to Christianity.
He returned to Ireland in 432 CE and worked to convert the Irish to Chrisitnaity, and by the time he died he had also established monasteries, churches, and even schools all around Ireland.
St. Patrick’s Day was first made to be a feast day, as it was in the middle of Lent and was seen as a cheat day and was observed by the Catholic Church. The holiday also commemorates Saint Patrick and how he spread Christianity to the region. It remind a quiet religious holiday in ireland until the mid-20th centry where the holiday started to spread. It came to the U.S though Irish immigrants in the 18th centry where is evolved into a secular, pride-filled celebrations.
The traditional decorations of Saint Patrick’s Day are rooted in Irish culture and meaning. The shamrock is a big symbol of St. Patrick’s day and is used to symbolize luck and Irish heritage. It came to become a symbol of St. Patrick’s Day because Saint Patrick was known to use it to explain the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to the Irish. Wearing green on Saint Patrick’s Day is traditional is is a symbol of Ireland as it is know as “Emerald Isle” because of its deep green vegetation and landscape. Also according to Irish folklore, if you wear green, it makes you invisible to leprechauns who pinch anything they see.
Now the traditions of Saint Patrick’s Day are spread across America, and many cities throw big parades in celebration of this holiday.
Since 1762, New York hosts one of the biggest parades in the world. Its on St. Patrick’s day every year, and does not include any floats or cars like other parades and instead is a walking procession. The parade is free to attend and marches up 5th avenue.
Another city which is famous for their celebrations is Savannah, Georgia. They have a massive parade on St. Patrick’s day along with lots of additional festivities on River Street. The city is big on celebrations for this holiday and is the largest Irish event in the south. Other festivities include live music, food venders, and the parade that lasts 3 hours. Chicago is also famous for dyeing their river green. They also had a big parade, which is one March 14th this year. The iconic dyeing of the river happens on March 14, at 10:00 AM.
The tradition of Saint Patrick’s Day, starting in Ireland and starting as a feast holiday has grown into a largely celebrated holiday that correlates with good time and celebrating Irish culture and pride. Because of how much the holiday has changed over the years, people ten to forget the deep history embedded within this deeply cultural holiday. So now when it come to being educated about the funny green holiday, the deep history and tradition behind this tradition will be with you.
Source: A History of Saint Patrick’s Day
