Have you ever wondered who Saint Patrick was and why we celebrate him every year? Saint Patrick was the Patron Saint of Ireland and its National Apostle is one of the most widely known figures for the Christian people. Saint Patrick’s real name was originally Maewyn Succat, but he decided to change it later on in his life to Patricius, or Patrick, during his religious journey. Patricius was a Latin word that meant “father figure”. Patrick was born in Roman, Britain and was kidnapped by Irish raiders and was sold to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16 years old. According to The History Channel, “a voice—which he believed to be God’s—spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.” According to his writings, he had a dream where God told him he needed to leave Ireland and so he did so by walking nearly 200 miles to the Irish coast, but decided to return back to Ireland where he then got credited for bringing Christianity to its people. After becoming a priest and helping Christianity through Ireland.
Saint Patrick’s Day is on March 17, the day that Patrick passed away in 465 A.D. Most people get together to honor Saint Patrick on this day. Plenty of people really cherish and favor this holiday. Some popular traditions include rocking shamrocks, looking for leprechauns, wearing green, and eating corned beef and cabbage. Green represents Saint Patrick’s Day mostly because there is green on the Irish flag. While Saint Patrick was trying to teach the Irish people about what Christianity was, he used the shamrock to help explain the holy spirit. Since there are three petals on the clover, he used them to represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three petals are also said to represent faith, hope, and love. According to the article “St. Patrick’s Day 2023: Who Was the Real St. Patrick?”, he said that the three clovers stand for the three beings of God, and that the stem shows how they are united into one. The word shamrock derives from the Irish Seamróg which means “little clover”.
People will dress up in green and attend one of the many amazing parades that are held throughout the day. The biggest Saint Patrick’s Day parade is located in Dublin and it is quite the celebration. It is known to be very crowded on Saint Patrick's Day in Dublin, there are usually around 500,000 people by the end of the parade, and around 100,000 of those people come in from overseas for the celebration. The people get to walk around the main streets and watch the amazing floats and troupes of performers pass by. The parade is approximately two hours long, the normal start and end times are 12:00 noon until 2:30pm.
Some lucky Saint Patrick’s Day traditions are looking for four-leaved clovers, wearing all green, pinching those not wearing green, kissing someone who is Irish, attending a St. Patrick’s day parade, and staying sober. Whether these are actually real “luck” or not, these can be very enjoyable and entertaining for many people. Saint Patrick's Day is supposed to be pleasurable and delightful, whether you believe in luck or not. It’s a day where you can forget about all of your problems and just relax. You can enjoy your night out and go to a parade with your family and friends or even just sit home together.
Comments