One day out of the year, the world goes green to celebrate one man—Saint Patrick.
But what is so special about this saint who lived around 1600 years ago that the world turns out in crowded parades to celebrate him? And what’s with all the green, too?
If you’ve ever found yourself asking these questions, you’re not alone. Keep reading to learn about the life of one of Ireland’s biggest cultural and religious icons, St. Patrick.
What do we celebrate on St Patrick’s Day?
St. Patrick’s Day, celebrated every year on March 17, honors the life of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. This date is significant because it’s the anniversary of his death.
Originally, St. Patrick’s Day was a more solemn religious holiday. It makes sense, after all; he was a priest and missionary.
St. Patrick played a significant role in Ireland’s religious transformation, reportedly converting about 135,000 people to Christianity, establishing 300 churches, and consecrating 350 bishops.
His feast day has been celebrated in Ireland since at least the ninth or tenth centuries AD, but it was only made official in the early 17th century.
Back then, most people celebrated by going to church with their families in the morning and then hosting feasts in the evening.
As the tradition spread outside Ireland, things changed. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations became more fun-filled gatherings without as much focus on religion.
Today, the celebrations are global, with colorful parades displaying rich Irish culture and everything green.
What is the true story of Saint Patrick?
Surprisingly, despite St. Patrick’s strong connections to Ireland, he was not Irish.
Although St. Patrick’s early life is somewhat unclear, historians believe he was born in 386 to a wealthy British family of Roman descent, named Maewyn Succat.
His father was a church deacon, and his grandfather was a priest. So, he had a Christian family background, yet his early life wasn’t particularly religious.
Sadly, the young lad’s life took a turn for the worse when Irish raiders attacked his home. At just 16, he was captured and sold into slavery in Ireland.
He mainly worked as a shepherd there, and during his solitude, he found comfort in religion.
One night, after about six years in captivity, he had a vision in which God told him it was time to leave Ireland. He escaped his captors and hopped on a ship back to Britain.
But he had barely arrived in Britain when he got another vision, this time telling him he had to return to Ireland.
Without questioning it, he trained to become a priest, changed his name to Patrick, and returned to Ireland.
Contrary to popular belief, St. Patrick didn’t bring Christianity to Ireland; there were already Christians living there.
What he did do, however, was popularize the religion. Since he was already familiar with Irish customs and rituals, he used that to spread the message.
For example, he is said to have used the shamrock clover to represent the Holy Trinity, held Easter bonfires, and designed the Celtic cross.
He died on March 17, 461, and was buried at Downpatrick.
Did St. Patrick really kick out all the snakes from Ireland?
While it’s one of the most popular legends surrounding St. Patrick, it’s also the most outlandish.
According to the story, he was on a 40-day fast when he was attacked by snakes. As a result, he chased all of them out of Ireland.
The truth is that St. Patrick didn’t have anything to do with the absence of snakes in Ireland.
Ireland is one of the few places on Earth without snakes, along with New Zealand, Greenland, Iceland, and Antarctica.
This has been the case since the Ice Age when Ireland and the British Isles were frozen solid. That meant all animals, including snakes, couldn’t survive there.
However, by the time the ice melted, Ireland had become an island, separated from the rest of the continent. So, the snakes couldn’t just crawl back there.
Where, then, did this dramatic story come from?
According to historians, the tale isn’t really about snakes. The snakes actually represent old pagan beliefs that St. Patrick crushed as Christianity spread throughout the Island.
Why do we wear green on St. Patrick’s Day?
On St. Patrick’s Day, colorful green outfits fill the streets. Even city monuments aren’t spared.
The Sydney Opera House, the London Eye, the Space Needle in Seattle, the Chicago River, and the Empire State Building have all been turned green at some point for the special occasion.
But here’s a fun fact that might surprise you: St. Patrick’s Day wasn’t always green.
Before the 19th century, blue was the color of the day. It wasn’t just any blue, but a specific shade of sky blue called St. Patrick’s blue.
However, when the Irish began to rebel against English rule, they swapped the blue for green, inspired by the color of shamrocks.
So naturally, when Irish migrants moved to the US, they maintained the color green as a symbol of their heritage.
By the 1930s, wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day had become such a widespread custom that even President Franklin D. Roosevelt joined in.
But there is another rather playful reason for wearing green on St Patrick’s Day. According to Irish legend, green makes you invisible to leprechauns.
So, if you don’t want these mischievous fairies pinching you, you’d better stick to the dress code and wear green!
You can’t talk about Irish culture without mentioning St. Patrick. Although he’s not Irish, his influence on Ireland is undeniable.
St. Patrick’s story is one of transformation. Given the challenges he faced as a young boy taken away from his home, who’d have thought he had this kind of impact today?
His legacy goes far beyond religion and is tightly interwoven with Irish history, which makes him worth celebrating.
