Did you know that March 17th has been celebrated as St. Patrick’s Day for over 1,000 years? But all the traditions we associate with it now, most certainly weren’t there to begin with. In the middle ages, people weren’t saying: wear something green or be pinched, eat some corned beef and cabbage, wear a shamrock pin, etc. March 17th was a day to remember a man with great forgiveness, who dedicated a lot to Ireland. Yep, St. Patrick.
In the centuries that have passed, some of the details (such as his name) have been misplaced and disagreed upon, but the core of the history is true. A young boy, perhaps named Maewyn Succat, lived in Britain. Not only was “Patrick” not Irish, you could even say he was Roman. For the Romans were only just leaving their British colony alone, after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476 A.D.
When he was sixteen years old, Maewyn/Patrick was captured by Irish who desired to take advantage of the newly relinquished Britain. Maewyn was kept as a slave in Ireland for some six to ten years. After that time, he either escaped, or was freed, and made it back to Britain.
After he returned, Maewyn decided to train to become a Catholic priest. This is when Maewyn changed his name to Patrick (or Patricius, Latin for “father figure”). He then received a calling from God to return to the Irish as a missionary. Faithfully, Patrick did just that. He sailed back to Ireland and had success in reaching the people of Ireland, largely Druid, with the Catholic faith. Churches sprouted up all over the island, and Ireland was never the same because of Patrick.
Out of gratefulness, the Irish people began celebrating Patrick on the supposed day of his death, March 17th. Since its inception, many traditions have become part of the annual festival.
The iconic tradition of decorating with shamrocks on St. Patrick’s Day springs from the legend that Patrick used the plant (either clover or sorrel) to illustrate the hard-to-grasp concept of the Holy Trinity. Though each leaf is a distinct, separate leaf, together the three form one, single clover (or sorrel), just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct, but One. To remember Patrick and his explanation, people started wearing the three-leaf plant on his holiday.
There are many other more unusual St. Patrick’s Day customs that developed as Irish Americans spread their cultural pride across the nation. For example, dying entire rivers green, giant parades, and chugging beer. But amidst the Irish-themed revelry, I think there’s an important take-away from Patrick: forgiveness.
While reading about Patrick, it struck me how difficult it must have been to be a missionary to the same people who had hurt him so much. To serve those who enslaved him took an immense amount of forgiveness. Not only did Patrick let go of his bitterness, he desired to help his captors by obeying God. And the Irish people benefitted because of it. So beneath all the lucky charms, beer, and parades, we’re really celebrating a man who gave a great example of true forgiveness.
Resources:
https://time.com/4261456/st-patrick-day-2016-history-real-saint/
The second video on the page has a great overview of Patrick! https://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/history-of-st-patricks-day
Great job, Ava. Your Great Grandmother, Katherine Irene, is beaming with pride in heaven on this St. Patrick’s Day.
Thank you! 🙂
I love that! I’m never doing 4-leaf clovers on St. P day again, it’s the triune leaf for me! 😄
Alright!