The Man, the Myths, and the Legends of Saint Patrick's Day

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This annual holiday, celebrated on March 17th and also known as St. Paddy’s Day, has become associated with pots of gold, green shamrocks, dancing Leprechauns and plenty of Irish singing and beer drinking – Ireland’s popular export.

Of course, for those who commemorate the holiday’s historical origin, St. Patrick’s Day is not just a fun excuse to drink the day away. It is a day for spiritual renewal and thanksgiving, in honor of the death of Saint Patrick. The patron saint and national apostle of Ireland, Saint Patrick has been historically credited with formalizing the presence of Christianity in Ireland during the 5th century AD.

But few know the origins of the man, the surrounding mythologies, and symbols, that collectively became St. Patrick’s Day traditions.

Patrick wasn’t his given name – and he wasn’t Irish. Welsh born, his birth name was Maewyn, and before he eventually achieved his high rank in Irish history, he had been captured by slave traders and sold to an Irish sheep farmer! He escaped to freedom six years later and spent the next 12 years living in a British monastery, where he adopted the anglicized name of Patrick.
Legend tells that the Irish apostle used the shamrock to explain the Christian concept of the Trinity to potential converts. The three leaves of the shamrock, which today is a popular symbol of the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, were used to represent the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
While it is customary to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day in the United States, the color green was actually considered unlucky in Ireland. Green is the color of faeries, which were believed to steal children who wear too much green.
The leprechaun is Ireland’s national faerie. Cobblers by profession, the leprechauns are legendary hard-workers, known for their solitary and surly qualities. These made the leprechauns the ideal candidate for their best-known role: guarding the faerie treasure.
Everyone knows the myth of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. In order to keep their golden treasure safe, leprechauns are said to spend their days scurrying from one end of the rainbow to the next, constantly moving their pot of gold to avoid capture.
Legend tells that if you are lucky enough to find a leprechaun, you must be careful not to let the little green guy out of your sight until he tells you where the pot of gold is. You had better be on your toes, though, because leprechauns are known to be cunning and quick – in the blink of an eye, the gold guard will dash out of sight, taking your hopes for good fortune with him.
The first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in Boston in 1737, but the New York parade, which was first held in 1762 and officially launched in 1850, is the longest running civilian parade in the world, with 150,000 participants and nearly three million live spectators

Adapted from content on Holidays On The Net (www.holidays.net).

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