The History of St. Patrick’s Day

By J.C. LaBar

Saint Patrick's Day is a cultural and religious celebration held every year on March 17th to com memorate the life and legacy of Saint Patrick, a fifth-century priest known as the patron saint of Ireland. He was born in 4th century Roman Britain near what is now Wales. He was enslaved at 16 and taken to Ireland as a captive for six years before escaping. He later founded schools, churches and monasteries and dedicated his remaining years to bringing Christianity across all of Ireland. He died on March 17, 461 CE in Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland.

DID YOU KNOW?: The patron saint and national apostle of Ireland was never officially canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church. This lack of official sainthood is because there was no formal canonization process in the 400s. Instead, people were regarded as saints by popular approval.

By the end of the 7th century, tales had spread far and wide about Patrick's miracles. He is credited with banishing all snakes from Ireland with faith alone and raising 33 dead men to life again through prayer; a feat further authenticated by his personal writings. He was also said to have prayed for food for hungry sailors traveling by land, after which a herd of swine miraculously appeared.

The celebration of St. Patrick's Day can be traced back to the ninth or tenth century - making it one of Christianity's oldest feast days. By the early 17th century, it had become an official Church holiday and by the

1700s was taking a more festive approach than originally intended. The St. Patrick’s Day celebration we know today is largely the invention of Irish-Americans. It wasn't until 1903 that Ireland declared St Patrick’s day as a public holiday, expanding the religious celebration to the secular realm. Today we celebrate this iconic day with parades and pubs filled with Guinness beer and merriment galore.

Green, Shamrocks and the Four-Leaf Clover

Green wasn’t always the color associated with Saint Patrick’s Day. Linking to Ireland's ancient flag, blue was the original color of Saint Patrick's Day. However, the Irish Rebellion of 1798 changed this when Irish rebels donned green as a symbol of liberty to show their rebellion against the British and

(Story Continues on Page 12)