Here’s the things I think of when I think of St. Patty’s Day: the color green, Kermit the frog, leprechauns, a pot of gold, Shepherd’s pie, Peppermint Patties, drinking, four leafed clovers, Shamrock shakes. And St. Patrick.
Today is St. Patty’s Day. I thought it would be fun to blog on the origins of the holiday. Of course, St. Patrick’s Day celebrates St. Patrick. Who is St. Patrick? He was a priest in Ireland, but he didn’t start out that way. Actually, he didn’t even start out as Patrick. His real name was Maewyn Succat. He changed his name later to Patrick because it meant father figure in Latin or because St. Maewyn Succat day sounds stupid. He was born a Roman citizen in Britain in the fifth century. Rome owned everything back then. Somehow he made his way to Scotland or Wales and was captured and shipped off to Ireland as a slave. He either escaped or was set free but either way he returned home where he studied to become a member of the clergy. He became a priest or a bishop and headed back to Ireland. Somehow, the former slave managed to convert the occultist druids into Christianity.
But that wasn’t all he did. He began many St. Patty’s traditions. The story goes that he used a Shamrock to illustrate the Holy Trinity, which began, yes, you guessed it the St. Patty’s Day green and shamrock traditions.
Another fun fact is the story that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland. Supposedly, he was attacked by a snake while he was fasting, which made him rather testy, so he herded all the snakes into the ocean. That makes him a kind of super hero, combination border collie. Whatever the reason, there are no snakes in Ireland so if you are scared of the little buggers, go there.
There’s a lot to love about St. Patty’s Day, even if you’re not a drinker. There are many parades, celebrations and feasts. It’s also a day off from Lent, if you are depriving yourself of things for the Lenten season. You can wear green, dress up in funny hats and kiss people because they’re Irish. Happy St. Patty’s Day everyone!