St Patrick’s origins: celebrating the Patron Saint’s day
St Patrick’s Day is that famous time of year when people around the world come together to celebrate all things Irish. Festivities have taken place on the 17th of March for hundreds of years, but how did it all begin? The St Patrick’s Day that we all know today actually began life as a much more low key affair as a religious event.
So, who was St Patrick and what is his story? Originally born in Wales, St Patrick was first introduced to Christianity when he was kidnapped by Irish traders and forced to work as a slave. Eventually he was able to escape to England and his faith went along with him, leading him to become a priest and then return to Ireland to convert the masses. March 17th commemorates his death and to this day all over the world both Irish and non-Irish remember the Saint on this date.
Celebrations today tend to involve games, alcohol and wearing green, but it was of course not always this way. In Ireland, St Patrick’s Day was a religious feast in memory of the Saint, seen as a welcome break from the strictness of Lent. After attending mass, the family would gather back at the home to prepare the feast. It was the Irish Americans who were the catalyst for a massive change in the celebrations in the mid 1900s. The first proper parade was held in Boston in 1973.
Beer has become the favoured beverage in the celebrations, which has always been a traditional drink when feasting. An incredible 13 million pints of Guinness are consumed on the day, some of which is even dyed green. The green tradition is believed to be about showing commitment to the ‘Emerald Isle’ and has even involved dying rivers green, as done in Chicago in 1962.
It’s not all about drinking beer and going green, though. In Ireland, St Patrick’s Day is a holy day and a national holiday, celebrated with treasure hunts, Irish language events and of course, many, many parades. So, why not visit Ireland to get a feel for where it all began?
|
0 Positive Reviews |
|
0 Negative Reviews |
Average Rating:
 |
Leave a Reply