Updated: March 26, 2022 – St Patrick’s Day
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Brieft History
395 AD – St Patrick was born in UK, near Kilpatrick, Scotland.
411 AD – At the age of 16; the villagers kidnapped, enslaved, and sent him to the mountainous countryside of Ireland to work tending sheep.
415 AD – He could escape his captors, following a dream in which God told him to flee to the coast; where he would find a ship to return to the UK. Upon his return to the UK, he had a second dream. This time featuring the people of Ireland, begging him to come back to them. In response to this dream, he began studying for the priesthood, eventually becoming a bishop of the Catholic Church.
433 AD – St Patrick returned to Ireland as to convert to Irish Christianity.
17th March 461 AD – St Patrick died in Ireland, after almost 30 years of missionary work. Sadly, he was largely forgotten after his death. So it wasn’t until after centuries of myths surrounding his life; and works that he was recognized as and named Ireland’s patron saint.
17th March each year, known as St Patrick’s Day.
It is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated around the world by millions. In addition, it is a celebration of St Patrick, the most widely acknowledged patron saint of Ireland; and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.
17th Century – It became an official feast day for the Catholic church at the beginning of the 17th century. Over the centuries, it has become more secular, focusing on the celebration of Irish ancestry and culture. However, today people around the world celebrate St Patrick’s Day by parades and festivals.
17th March 1762 – The first St Patrick’s Day parade took place in New York City; in which Irish soldiers serving in the English military took to the streets to celebrate their Irish roots with marching and music.
Fun Facts
The shamrock originated from St Patrick’s missionary work in Ireland; which used the shamrock to explain Christianity’s Holy Trinity to the people of Ireland.
St Patrick associated with blue as the original colour. Green slowly replaced blue as the St Patrick’s Day colour; with green ribbons and shamrock’s worn in celebration as early as the 17th century.
Parades and celebrations usually use lime green chrysanthemums as decorations.
In 1962, a portion of the Chicago River was dyed green in celebration of St Patrick’s Day; and has continued ever since.
Over 100 St Patrick’s Day parades are held in the United States; the largest celebration taking place in New York City and Boston.
The story of St Patrick driving snakes out of Ireland is an old myth started by monks, and most likely symbolises him driving the Pagan beliefs out of Ireland and bringing Christianity.
The secular celebration of Irish culture on St Patrick’s Day originated in the United States and was little more than a minor religious holiday until 1970s in Ireland.
Following are some Irish Fun Facts:
- Ireland’s top three symbols are the Celtic cross, the green shamrock, and the harp.
- 88% of Ireland-born citizens are Roman Catholic, and 45% of them attend mass every week.
- Ireland is free of snakes, moles, weasels and other related species.
- Nine per cent of Ireland’s population are redheads.
- Cats are Ireland’s favourite pet over dogs by a margin of two to one.
- In Dublin, there’s a pub for every 100 people.
- Dated back to 900 AD, Ireland’s oldest pub, Sean’s Bar in Athlone was founded.
St Patrick’s Day’s use of leprechaun has no direct relationship with him and actually originated from a 1959 Walt Disney movie featuring a very Americanised version of the Irish folklore characters. This American leprechaun quickly grew into a highly recognisable St Patrick’s Day symbol.
Today’s Celebration
Today the world’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebration is the annual parade in New York City; where over two million spectators line the parade route, all claiming to be Irish, at least for the day. Is also a part of of a springtime celebration.
As St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner, you can check out my friend Mimmie’s blog post on 11 Easy Family Activities for St. Patrick’s Day. She has put together all the activities you and your family can do on this very special day.
#stpatricksday #ireland #irish
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I had no idea that the Shamrock was used to represent the Holy Trinity!
The fourth leaf is where we get our luck from. However, the chances of finding a four-leaf Shamrock in a field is one in 10,000.
Wow, so many cool facts! I had no idea that Ireland didn’t have any snakes, moles, et cetera! I also didn’t know it was a religious holiday. Great post!
What a great post! Love all the insight and I have learned so much. I had no idea how far back this went. I will be headed to Ireland this summer and it is time for me to learn more about it.
Thank you for sharing
Wow! Almost all of this information is new to me! Since this is not a “federal” holiday in the US I just didn’t know the background as much as some other holidays
Thanks for sharing the background of this holiday we celebrate and love! ☘️
We are an Irish family. Actually, my husband’s family were some of the original Irish potato farmers that migrated to Canada. Shamrocks, Guinness, and mass are always part of our lives.
I did not realize that Disney was responsible for associating leprechauns with St. Patrick’s Day, but it makes sense. Love the dog with the hat!
great info! there’s so much to learn about St Patrick’s Day and not just celebrate it alone.
You know I never really took the time to research the origin of St.Patrick’s Day. I’ve always heard stories that St. Patrick chased away the snakes in Ireland, but whether that is true, I really haven’t a clue. This was such a fun post to read.
What a fun post! I always heard that Ireland was free of snakes but I thought it was just a myth. Are there really zero snakes, moles, or weasels in the entire country? I wonder why. Interesting!