Paddy's Day, in a nutshell
With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, here’s a little bit about it’s origins and traditions in Irish culture. The man himself was actually Welsh, according to most sources. He was kidnapped by some Irish pirates (not a profession that kept its longevity, thankfully) and brought here as a slave.
To cut a long (and at times vague) story short, he eventually escaped slavery and returned home. But not before he found his faith. He said he had visions of God while wandering our green hills. He soon became a priest and returned to Ireland to convert the heathen Irish (who were mostly pagan at the time). You can actually read about his time in Ireland in Patrick’s own words
It’s important to note, there were never actually any snakes in Ireland. So, the story of Patrick driving the snakes from our shores is more of a fable. In reality (or as close as we can assume), he had a serious issue with the druids and they soon became the proverbial snakes in the grass. To this day still, there are various accounts of St. Patrick and his time here. There is even one conspiracy theory suggesting that he was actually two different people.
So why do we celebrate? Well, he’s credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland so that’s where the celebration began. It was a celebration of St. Patrick’s life on the anniversary of his death. Also, it was a day off from Lent, and no joke that really helped to push the whole idea into main stream. Nowadays, it has become a celebration of Irishness. There are literally massive get-togethers all around the world celebrating just that. And the best part, you don’t have to start frantically searching for Irish ancestors to join in the celebrations. Everybody is welcome to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!
Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? We’d love to hear what your traditions are.
To cut a long (and at times vague) story short, he eventually escaped slavery and returned home. But not before he found his faith. He said he had visions of God while wandering our green hills. He soon became a priest and returned to Ireland to convert the heathen Irish (who were mostly pagan at the time). You can actually read about his time in Ireland in Patrick’s own words
.
It’s important to note, there were never actually any snakes in Ireland. So, the story of Patrick driving the snakes from our shores is more of a fable. In reality (or as close as we can assume), he had a serious issue with the druids and they soon became the proverbial snakes in the grass. To this day still, there are various accounts of St. Patrick and his time here. There is even one conspiracy theory suggesting that he was actually two different people.
So why do we celebrate? Well, he’s credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland so that’s where the celebration began. It was a celebration of St. Patrick’s life on the anniversary of his death. Also, it was a day off from Lent, and no joke that really helped to push the whole idea into main stream. Nowadays, it has become a celebration of Irishness. There are literally massive get-togethers all around the world celebrating just that. And the best part, you don’t have to start frantically searching for Irish ancestors to join in the celebrations. Everybody is welcome to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!
Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? We’d love to hear what your traditions are.