We all know St. Patrick’s Day usually involves a parade, Irish folks, and lots of green beer, but what is it really about? When you have kids, you need to explain a variety of holidays to them (“why does the Easter bunny come?”), and sometimes you realise that you have no idea what all these holidays are about!
So we at Help! hit the web to find out what “St. Paddy’s Day” is really celebrating.
Saint Patrick’s Day or the Feast of Saint Patrick is a cultural and religious holiday that takes place every year on March 17th, the anniversary of the death of the generally accepted Patron-Saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461).
Saint Patrick’s Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early seventeenth century and is observed by several religious groups, including, of course, the Catholics in Ireland. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and now is also a general celebration of Ireland and Irish culture.
Festivities usually include parades and festivals, céilithe (traditional dancing), and the wearing of green clothes or shamrocks (aka green clovers), and usually beer. Some Christians also attend church services, and the day has become known for drinking, as traditionally the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day.
The colour green and the Shamrock have come to symbolise Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day. Saint Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish. Wearing green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day started as early as the 17th century.
Saint Patrick’s Day is not only celebrated in Ireland, but is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora around the world; especially in Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.
Did you know that there are more Irish outside of Ireland than in it? There are an estimated 80 Million people around the world that claim some Irish ancestry, over 4 Million in Canada alone, while there are under 7 Million people that live in Ireland!
A Few Interesting Tidbits about Saint Patrick
- Patrick’s born into a wealthy Romano-British family in the fourth century. He became a priest.
- He was an evangelist, who went to Ireland to convert the polytheistic Irish to Christianity.
- He spent 30 years there converting the Irish until he died there in 461.
Did you know he wasn’t even Irish? We didn’t!
Will you celebrate St Patrick’s Day with your family? Let us know!
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