Saint Patrick’s Day, the national holiday of Ireland, is the most celebrated national holiday in the world. Well over 50 countries celebrate this special day, which happens on the 17th of March each year. [Fun fact: All over the world many cities light their iconic buildings in green lights to celebrate and recognize Saint Patrick’s Day]. This national holiday is all about recognizing the contribution of Saint Patrick to Ireland and the Irish people.
So, who was Saint Patrick and what did he do for Ireland? Saint Patrick was born in Wales, which is the part of the United Kingdom. He was kidnapped from his village in Wales by the pagan Irish pirates during one of their main raids in Wales. He was only 16 years old. He was taken to Ireland where he was a slave and worked as a shepherd. After several years, he managed to escape from Ireland and return home to Wales. However, soon afterwards he returned to Ireland and introduced the Irish people to Christianity. During his time in Ireland, he built many schools and churches and spread the teachings of God. Many legends say that he expelled all the snakes from the island of Ireland. [fun fact: There are no snakes in Ireland]. I think this is more likely to be a metaphor for driving Satan out of Ireland rather than physically removing snakes from the island. He also used the shamrock leaf to explain the Holy Trinity: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This shamrock leaf has become one of the emblems/ symbols of Ireland.
So how is Saint Patrick’s Day celebrated? In 1737 Boston as the first city in the world to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with a parade, followed by New York and Chicago. These parades were organized by the Irish emigrants in the US to remember Ireland and celebrate the Irish national holiday. Around the 20th century the tradition of parades came to Ireland and many villages, towns and cities organize parades. The largest parade in Ireland is organized in Dublin. On Saint Patrick’s Day, people dress in green clothes and wear a bunch of shamrock leaves as a badge on their coats. On Saint Patrick’s Day many families meet and organize meals or go to the local pub for a few pints of Guinness! One of the oldest Irish traditions is “drowning the shamrock”, which traditionally meant that a small bunch of shamrock was placed in the bottom of a cup of Irish cider, beer, or whiskey and then people would drink the shamrock to celebrate. Alternatively, the bunch of shamrock would be thrown over the shoulder which was supposed to represent good luck. Many people believe that Saint Patrick’s Day has become too commercial and many of the old traditions have been forgotten.
I hope that this year Saint Patrick’s Day can be celebrate in our school and that the school will allow us to organize some events (without the pints of Guinness).
If you need any information on the Saint Patrick’s event you can call or message these people:
- Max O’Brien
- Ruby Wiley
- Wojtek Konopski
Max O’Brien