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THE HISTORY OF ST. PATRICK'S DAY
St. Patrick's Day is Ireland's greatest national holiday as well as a holy day. The date marks the anniversary of the death of the missionary who became the patron saint of Ireland. It is a happy holiday for the Irish wherever they may be - in Dublin, New York City, Boston, or San Francisco. The day celebrated with parades, speeches, festive dinners, and dances. Green is the color of the day, with thousands of little cloth shamrocks worn even by those whose forefathers never touched the shores of Ireland.
St Patrick is known as the patron saint of Ireland. True, he was not a born Irish.
But he has become an integral part of the Irish heritage, mostly through
his service across Ireland of the 5th century.
It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. Patrick was the son of Calpurnius, a Roman-British army officer. There are differing views about the exact year and place of his birth. According to one school of opinion, he was born about 390 A.D.,
while the other school says it is about 373 AD. Again, his birth place
is said to be in either Scotland or Roman England. His real name was probably Maewyn Succat. Though Patricius was his Romanicized name, he was later came to be familiar as Patrick.
At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. This was when changes came to him. He dreamed of having seen God. Legend says, he was then dictated by God to escape with a getaway ship.
Finally, he did escape and went to Britain. And then to France.
There he joined a monastery and studied under St. Germain,
the bishop of Auxerre. He spent around 12 years in training.
And when he became a bishop he dreamed that the Irish were calling him
back to Ireland to tell them about God.
The Confessio, Patrick's spiritual autobiography, is the most important
document regarding this. It tells of a dream after his return to Britain,
in which one Victoricus delivered him a letter headed "The Voice of the Irish."
His wishes were to return to Ireland, to convert the native pagans to Christianity. But his superiors instead appointed St. Palladius. But two years later, Palladius transferred to Scotland. Patrick, having adopted that Christian name earlier, was then appointed as second bishop to Ireland. There he converted
the Gaelic Irish, who were then mostly Pagans, to Christianity. He was
confident in the Lord, he journeyed far and wide, baptizing and confirming
with untiring zeal. And, in a diplomatic fashion he brought gifts to
a kinglet here and a lawgiver there, but accepted none from any.
Indeed, Patrick was quite successful at winning converts.
Through active preaching, he made important converts even
among the royal families. And this fact upset the Celtic Druids.
Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time.
For 20 years he had traveled throughout Ireland,
establishing monasteries across the country.
He also set up schools and churches
which would aid him in his conversion.
He developed a native clergy,
fostered the growth of monasticism,
established dioceses, and held church councils.
Patrick's doctrine is considered orthodox
and has been interpreted as anti-Pelagian.
Although he is not particularly noted as a man of learning,
a few of his writings remain extant:
his Confession, a reply to his detractors, and several letters.
The Lorica ("Breastplate"), a famous hymn attributed to Patrick,
may date to a later period.
By the end of the 7th century Patrick had become a legendary figure,
and the legends have continued to grow since then.
There are many legends associated with St Patrick.
It is said that he used the three-leafed shamrock
to explain the concept of the Trinity;
which refers to the combination of
Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Hence its strong association with his day and name.
Legend also has that,
Saint Patrick had put the curse of God on venomous snakes in Ireland.
And he drove all the snakes into the sea where they drowned.
True, these are mostly legends. But, after some 1500 years,
these legends have been inseparably combined with the facts.
And together they have helped us know
much about the Saint and the spirit behind celebration of the day.
Patrick's mission in Ireland lasted for over 20 years.
He died on March 17, AD 461.
That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since.
The day's spirit is to celebrate the universal baptization of Ireland.
Though originally a Catholic holy day,
St. Patrick's Day has evolved into more of a secular holiday.
Or, rather, 'be an Irish Day '.
And the Irish has borne it as part of their national tradition in
everywhere they populated and prospered.
The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army. Suddenly, annual St. Patrick's Day parades became a show of strength for Irish Americans, as well as a must-attend event for a slew of political candidates. In 1948, President Truman attended New York City 's St. Patrick's Day parade.
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