The Origin of Holidays: St. Patrick's Day

Green clothes, four-leafed clovers, leprechauns. I think everyone recognizes the signs of St. Patrick's Day when they see it.

But how many actually know what the holiday is about?

Saint Patrick, himself

Okay, so the obvious answer is that it has something to do with a saint named Patrick, and something about Ireland. Well, there's a start, at least.

Patrick, aka Maewyn Succat, was actually British. His father was a Christian deacon, but possibly for tax reasons, so his family wasn't particularly religious.

He was taken prisoner and taken to Ireland by Irish raiders when he was 16. He spent 6 years there, in captivity, where he worked as a shepherd, away from people. His loneliness and imprisonment drove him to turn to religion. For him, this was Christianity. It's also said that he first began dreaming of converting the people of Ireland (who were still largely Pagan) while in captivity.

The "Banishing of the Snakes"

He eventually escaped back to Britain, guided by a voice he believed to be that of God (Jehovah) that told him it was time to leave Ireland (according to his writings). For the next 15 years, he trained to become a priest, with two goals -- to minister to those in Ireland who were already Christian, and to convert those who weren't.

Like the Holy Roman Empire did in mainland Europe, St. Patrick turned Pagan symbols into Christian ones, to assimilate the Pagan Irish into Christianity. For example, the Celtic Cross was created by adding the symbol of the Sun to the Christian Cross, and the bonfires of Ostara (Easter) were redefined with Christian connotations.

The legend of St. Patrick says that he stood on a hilltop with his staff and banished the snakes from Ireland. In fact, Ireland didn't have any snakes (the animal) to begin with. The "snakes" are a metaphor for the Pagans. So, the "banishing of the snakes" actually refers to the Christianizing of Ireland, which was fully realized within two centuries of St. Patrick's arrival.

The Symbols

Among the symbols associated with St. Patrick's Day is the Shamrock, commonly known as the four-leafed clover (though most Shamrocks only have three leaves). The Shamrock was sacred to the Celtic Pagans because of its symbolism of Spring and rebirth. Today, finding a four-leafed clover is considered lucky, any time of the year.

St. Patrick used the Shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity, thus turning it into a Christian icon. Later, the Shamrock became a symbol of Irish nationalism and Irish pride, especially when England started taking Irish land and making laws against the Irish.

Leprechauns, another St. Patrick's Day symbol, stem from Irish folklore and were considered a type of Faerie. They were solitary in nature and preferred to spend their time making shoes for the others. They are the guardians of the Faeries' treasures, in part because of their anti-social nature.

St. Patrick's Day in America

In more modern times, the holiday has become more secular than religious, particularly in America.

The St. Patrick's Day parade was an American idea, started in 1762 by Irish-American soldiers serving in the English Army, showing their pride for their heritage and reconnecting with their roots. As the "Irish Aid" societies, such as the Hibernian Society, formed, they eventually came together with their parades to form the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade, the oldest civilian, and the US's largest, parade.

The Parade was of special importance during (and soon after) the time of Ireland's Great Potato Famine of 1845. Up until then, most of the Irish Americans were Protestant middle class, and therefore, didn't receive the prejudice the new, Catholic poor Irish immigrants were facing as they flooded into America. The parade, and celebrations of St. Patrick's Day in general, however, showed the Irish Americans how strong their numbers were and how much political power they had. The Irish became an important swing vote for politicians.

St. Patrick's Day is a relatively humble holiday with a rich history behind it. As both a secular and a religious holiday, is has many different meanings for many different people. What will it mean in a few centuries?