Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh (Happy St .Patricks Day to All of You!)

I am not Irish and do not pretend to be. I am however Scottish and my father and my grandparents spoke Scottish Gaelic and had close Irish friends. We celebrated St. Patrick's Day as if it were a Scottish Holiday, much the same as we celebrated Robbie Burns day on January 25^th. I was fascinated with the Gaelic language but unfortunately I never put in the time to pursue learning it, and have only a few words retained in my mind.

For many non-Irish American's or Canadians, St. Patrick's day gives you an excuse to drink green beer and get intoxicated with no excuses at the local Irish pub. Most people do not know the history of St. Patrick and what the day really symbolizes.

St. Patrick, was the patron saint of Ireland, and one of the well known figures in Christianity. His life however is shrouded in mystery. Most of the stories told throughout the ages associated with St. Patrick are exaggerated tales. It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents towards the end of the fourth century. Although his father was a Christian Deacon, it is believed he only took on that role for tax purposes and that they were not a particularly religious family. Patrick was taken prisoner by Irish raiders at the young age of 16 and held in captivity for 6 years. During this time he worked as a Shepard, where he was alone and away from people. He turned to religion as comfort and became a devout Christian. It is said that he dreamed of turning the Irish people to Christianity. After his time in captivity, he escaped, claiming he was told to leave Ireland in a dream. He walked nearly 200 miles to the coast of Ireland and escaped back to Britain. Patrick believed he had a second revelation, that told him to return to Ireland as a missionary. He began religious training soon afterward and spent 15 years studying. After he was ordained as a priest, he was assigned to Ireland with two missions. One, was to be minister to any Christians already living in Ireland and two, was to convert any other Irish people to Christianity.

Before Patrick arrived, most Irish people practiced a nature based pagan religion. It was centered around a tradition of oral legend and myths. He tried to incorporate traditional rituals into his teachings, rather than eradicate the Irish beliefs, such as incorporating the sun onto a Christian cross which is now known as a Celtic cross.

The holiday "St.Patricks Day" has been celebrated in Irish tradition for thousands of years. The date March 17, symbolizes his religious feast and the anniversary of his death in the 5^th century. The very first St. Patrick's day parade was held not in Ireland but in America on March 17 1762. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City. Today, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated everywhere from Canada to Japan. In modern day Ireland it was illegal to open up pubs on March 17^th. This was the case up until the 1970's. In 1995 the Irish government began a national campaign to drive tourism on St. Patrick's Day. They now have a festival in Dublin, a multi day event with parades, fireworks and concerts.

So well you are out today, celebrating a holiday you may not have known the history about, raise a glass and say "Slainte!" and "Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh". (Cheers and Happy St. Patrick's day to all of you!)