Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!
To celebrate, let’s dig a little into the history behind this green holiday, and find ways to commemorate it.
St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th was originally a feast day for honoring Ireland’s patron saint, St. Patrick, who was born approximately 385 A.D. Originally a religious holiday, the day has now become a celebration of Irish culture, especially in the United States, because of Irish immigrants, while in Ireland, the holiday is celebrated more for tourists.
St. Patrick is celebrated as he is the saint credited for bringing Christianity to Ireland, and he is also believed to be responsible for introducing Christianity to the Anglo-Saxons, although historians do believe there were already Christian believers once St. Patrick returned to Ireland.
There are some very persistent legends surrounding St. Patrick, such as the legend that he banished all the snakes from Ireland, when in fact there was never a large number of snakes in Ireland – one theory is that the Ice Age made it too cold for them to survive in the area. Another legend involves an important symbol of St. Patrick’s Day – the shamrock. According to legend, the saint used the three leaves of the shamrock to tell people about the Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, though experts now think this story was invented centuries later.
Here are some ways we can all celebrate St. Patrick’s Day:
1. Add a dash of green to your outfit today (interestingly enough, blue, not green, was the color traditionally associated with St. Patrick). White and orange also work, as these are the three colors of the Irish flag.
2. Head to the pub for a pint of Guinness!
3. Listen to some Irish music!