The History of St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick was the patron saint of Ireland. He is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. For how well-known he seems to have been, his life remains a mystery. The famous story of St. Patrick banishing all snakes from Ireland is said to be false. This story is the result of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling, which is typical of most stories passed from one generation to the next. Eventually, the story becomes distorted.

St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died around 460 A.D. His father was a Christian deacon. It has been speculated that he took on this position because of tax incentives. There is no evidence that Patrick's family was particularly religious. When Patrick was 16 he was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's grand estate. They took him to Ireland where he spent the next 16 years in captivity. Many believe he was held in Mount Slemish in County Antrim or County Mayo near Killala. No matter, he worked in either of these places as a shepherd. He was said to be lonely and afraid and turned to his religion for solace. He became a devout Christian.

Patrick escaped from his imprisonment and according to his writings, a voice which he believed to be God's spoke to him in a dream and told him to leave Ireland. Patrick then walked nearly 200 miles to the Irish coast and escaped to Britain. Once in Britain, he claimed to have experienced another revelation, an angel in a dream. This angel told him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Patrick began religious training and continued on with this training for more than 15 years. He became an ordained priest and was sent to Ireland with a dual mission. He was to minister to Christians and convert the Irish. This mission contradicts the notion that Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland.

As is typical in Christian conversion methods, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional Irish tradition into his lessons instead of attempting to do away with native Irish beliefs. For example, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. Although there were some Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, most Irish practiced a nature based pagan religion. The original culture consisted of traditional myth and oral legend. This was yet another example of Christianity weaving pagan rituals and beliefs into the Holy Bible, tying it all in as if God approved of it.

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17. The Irish have observed this as a religious holiday for thousands of years. It is the anniversary of St. Patrick's death. St. Patrick's Day takes place during the Christian season of Lent. Traditionally, as is still practiced by many today, they attended church in the morning and celebrated in the afternoon. This celebration included, and still includes, drinking alcoholic beverages, dancing, and feasting. The traditional meal was Irish bacon and cabbage. The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place in the United States. Irish soldiers marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. This was an opportunity for the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish heritage and join with their fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.

Most Irish immigrants that came to America belonged to the Protestant middle class. When the Great Potato Famine hit Ireland in 1845, nearly a million poor, Catholic Irish came to America in hopes of not starving. American Protestants hated them for their religious beliefs and language accents. The Irish had a difficult time finding jobs. When these Irish Americans took to celebrating St. Patrick's Day on the streets, they were portrayed by the American media as drunk and violent monkeys. Interestingly enough, when the Irish saw that their great numbers gave them political advantage, they started to organize. Once they had political power, their annual parades became a show of strength for Irish Americans. This is also typical behavior of people in a society. When once chastised people suddenly become popular, especially politically strong, society suddenly lays down the clubs they used to beat them and starts waving the popular political flag. It's typically known as "band wagoning".

Today, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by people of all backgrounds in places all over the world. In Ireland, St. Patrick's Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. Up until the 1970's, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. In 1995, the Irish government decided St. Patrick's Day could be a magnet for tourists and they could put Ireland on display for the mighty dollar. Once again the dollar became a god.

St. Patrick's Day has become associated with luck, which is biblically referred to as a god, rainbows, leprechauns, and shamrocks. On St. Patrick's Day, all over the world, this once "religious" holiday becomes an excuse for a party, highlighting green beer boozing, belligerence, and over-eating. This holiday's events hardly seem like any kind of behavior that would resemble sainthood. How proud is Christianity of St. Patrick's legacy now? Oh well, to each his own man-made religion. Happy St. Patrick's Day!