When green is actually blue… Everything you need to know about Saint Patrick’s Day

Saint Patrick’s day, also known as the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a holiday celebrated annually on March 17 worldwide. There are many traditions, or rather beliefs and myths, closely related to this Irish feast. Leprechauns, snakes, four-leaf clovers and the power of green are only some of the beliefs, which will be closely examined and abolished in the following article.

For starters, the main character of the celebration - Saint Patrick, also known as the “Apostle of Ireland” was not even Irish… He was born around 390 A.D in Britain, Wales. Despite his aristocratic and religious origins, he did not show interest in religion. It is not until the age of sixteen when he was kidnapped and sent to tend sheep as a slave for seven years in the cold, chilly and mountainous countryside of Ireland. After a brave escape, it is said that Saint Patrick, whose real name was probably Maewyn Succat, took refuge in a monastery in Gaul for another twelve years. This is where he acquired his religious knowledge. The “Apostle of Ireland” established the religious system of Rome and originated the Christian Church in Ireland.

Second of all… the color of Saint Patrick was originally blue, not green. Several artworks displaying Saint Patrick, which were made centuries ago, present him wearing blue vestments. In fact, blue was a color commonly used on flags and coats-of-arms representing Ireland. Green came into the picture much later, probably as a symbol of the greenness of the “Emerald Isle”. However, it is believed that wearing green on March 17 will bring you luck in life.

Stop being overly excited when you see a rainbow. The truth is you will never find a leprechaun on its end. Leprechaun, a term that comes from an Irish word meaning “small-bodied fellow” refers to an Irish fairytale. Often described as an old man, no taller than two feet, with a red beard, a crooked cylinder hat and a green leather costume, leprechauns are known for their aloofness, unkindness and trickiness. Those little shoemakers also have a hidden pot of gold that is claimed to be hidden on the end of the rainbow. The whole point in this belief is to catch the small-bodied fellow and steal the pot. It is very popular to dress as a leprechaun on a parade on Saint Patrick’s Day.

Maewyn Succat surely did not banish snakes from Ireland, since it is proved that no snakes existed on the island during the post-glacial time period. One of the most famous legends associated with the “Apostle of Ireland” says, that during one of his sermons he drove the snakes out of the country, into the sea. Yet due to the geographical features of Ireland (just like Iceland or Antarctica), snakes would not adapt easily to the environment and therefore, survive. Nonetheless, snakes became a stereotypical symbol of Ireland, which you cannot forget about on Saint Patrick’s Day.

Shamrock, probably the most popular symbol of Ireland, originates from the teachings of Saint Patrick. Clover gained its popularity thanks to Saint Patrick. Beforehand, the most famous and most known symbol of Ireland was a harp. Saint Patrick used a shamrock as a way to describe the Trinity to his listeners. Just how three leaves make a shamrock; The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit represent one God. From early years, it was believed that shamrocks are lucky charms. Nowadays the lucky shamrock is the one with four leaflets. Good luck finding your lucky charm as, the chance of finding a four-leaf clover is 1 in 10,000!

Do you want to hear another plot twist? Yet the celebration is mainly associated with Ireland, the greatest and the earliest parades and events on March 17 took place in the United States! Taking into acount that more Irish people (and those with Irish ancestry) live in the US than in Ireland, we can imagine how big of a feast Saint Patrick’s Day can be. Well, how does the celebration look like? The day consists of many events and elements; here are some major components of the celebration.

1. Taking part in a parade. The most famous parades take place in cities like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Savannah, and other cities worldwide. It is said that the New York Parade is the greatest parade with 150,000 participants and over 3 million spectators. The most effective part of parades is the amount of green elements, Irish symbols described above.

2. Dyeing rivers green. Chicago for example, dies its river green, many pubs serve green beer and the White House dyes its fountain green. Parade floats and decorations also feature the color green.

3. Pea planting. Pea planting, especially popular in the Northeast, is largely due to the color (green) and the time of year (prime pea-planting conditions).

Yet the symbols and beliefs related to Saint Patrick’s day are not as they originally were, this doesn’t stop the world to celebrate the feast of “Apostle of Ireland”.

Helena Źródłowska, kl. 1C

http://www.wilstar.com/holidays/patrick.htm,
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140314-saint-patricks-day-2014-culture-nation-ireland/
http://www.ireland-information.com/saintpatricksdaytraditions.htm
http://www.ibtimes.com/st-patricks-day-history-traditions-9-surprising-facts-you-may-not-know-about-st-patrick-irish
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick's_Day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick's_Day_in_the_United_States
http://www.wikihow.com/Celebrate-St.-Patrick's-Day
http://english-zone.com/holidays/st-patsymbols.html