Interesting Facts about St. Patrick’s Day

Who is St. Patrick?

Patrick, who was from Britain, was captured and taken to Ireland as a teenager.  He escaped and went back home where he joined the Church.  After a few years, he felt a calling to go back to Ireland.  He was a bishop in Ireland and by the 7^th Century, he became revered as the Patron Saint of Ireland.  Patrick is a patron saint because he baptized thousands of people and ordained priests to lead new Christian communities.  He converted wealthy women as well as sons of kings.  He helped spread Christianity across Ireland.

Why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland died on March 17 in the year…..493!  The day of his death marks the day he is celebrated.  In Ireland, March 17^th is celebrated as both a religious and non-religious holiday.  Outside of Ireland St. Patrick’s Day is mainly a celebration of Ireland itself.  St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in honor of this famous “Irish” man.

Did Patrick really drive out the snakes from Ireland?

This is merely a myth.  Interestingly enough, Ireland (like New Zealand, Iceland, Greenland, and Antarctica) has NO SNAKES….so perhaps this is a good place to live?!!!!  Snakes and serpents have not been able to migrate across the open ocean to a post-glacial island.

Why/How are SHAMROCK’s utilized?

Patrick utilized the shamrock which is a 3-leafed plant to teach about the Christian Trinity of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit.  He used the native shamrock as an illustrative parable.  For this reason, shamrocks have become a central symbol for St. Patrick’s Day. 

Why is Green is the color of St. Patty’s day? 

There are a couple of answers to this one.  Originally, blue was the color associated with Patrick.  However, since St. Patrick used shamrocks in his teaching, shamrocks and the color green began to be utilized to honor the favorite Irish saint.  By the 1700’s, the Irish wore the shamrock as a symbol of St. Patrick’s Day.  Also, in the 1798 rebellion, Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on March 17^th in hopes of catching the public’s attention and the phrase “wearing of the green” came from this political statement.

Why do we eat Corned Beef on St. Patrick ’s Day?

There is not a very good answer to this except….that it doesn’t seem to come from Ireland at all.  It was probably an Irish-American trend. 

Why do we pinch anyone not wearing green?

This too is probably an Irish-American thing from the 1700’s.  Some say you would wear green on St. Patrick’s Day as a reminder of what St. Patrick did for the Irish and if you didn’t honor Patrick, you would be pinched.