Erin Go Bragh!

My niece is obsessed with trying to catch a leprechaun, sprite or fairy on St. Patrick’s Day. It is one of her favorite holidays; I attribute that to the Irish blood. One day I asked her about Saint Patrick and she had no idea who he was or the origin of St. Patrick’s Day.

Out of curiosity, I started asking people if they knew the history behind Saint Patrick’s Day. Overwhelming, the answer was “no”. So here is some history and fun facts around this well celebrated day of the year.

Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17, which is thought to be the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. Since St. Patrick’s Day, falls during Lent; Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Known as the Apostle of Ireland, Saint Patrick was born in Roman Britain in the late 4th century, he was kidnapped at the age of 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. Upon hearing a voice telling him to go home, he escaped back to Britain. After his return home, he eventually received his calling through a dream and returned back to Ireland to convert the Irish to Christianity. Traveling amongst the villages he shared his teachings of the gospel and founded many churches. It was fabled that he drove the snakes out of Ireland and used the shamrock to explain the Trinity. Although Saint Patrick is a patron saint, much of the truth about him is mixed with legend. But what do you expect from the magical green island?

Fun Facts:

• The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in America on March 17, 1601 in a Spanish colony in what is now St. Augustine, Florida.

• Belief in leprechauns most likely stemmed from Celtic belief in fairies, who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil.

• The original Irish name for these folklore figures is “lobaircin,” meaning “small-bodied fellow.”

• The tradition of wearing green is tied to the folklore that wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns, so they can’t pinch you when they see you.

• The original color of St. Patrick’s Day was blue.

• St. Patrick could not have banished snakes from Ireland because there is no snake’s native to Ireland.

• Shamrocks are not lucky…..but four leaf clovers are!

May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been, the foresight to know where you are going, and the insight to know when you have gone too far.

(Editors, 2021)

(Encyclopaedia, 2022)

(Davidson, 2022)