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St. Patrick's Day
- There are more Americans of Irish origin (36.5 mil)
than there are Irish in Ireland (4 mil).
- St. Patrick's given name was Maewyn Succat and he
was born in Britain around 385 AD. At age 16 he was
kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery in
Ireland. During his 6 years as a slave he turned to
religion for solace. He escaped slavery and made his
way to Gaul where he changed his name to Patrick and
studied in the monastery under St. Germain.
- St. Patrick converted pagans to Christianity,
angering the Celtic Druids who threw him in prison
many times as a result.
- St. Patrick did not actually drive snakes out of
Ireland; the snakes represent the Pagans that he
converted to Christianity.
- It is believed that St. Patrick died on March
17th, the day that we now celebrate St. Patrick's
Day. March 17th is also feast day in Ireland.
- The actual color of St. Patrick is blue. Green
became associated with St. Patrick's Day during the
19th century. Green, in Irish legends, was worn by
fairies and immortals, and also by people to
encourage their crops to grow.
- St. Patrick's celebrations were originally
religious festivals; up until the 1970s Irish law
mandated that pubs be closed on St. Patrick's Day.
In 1995 the Irish government used St. Patrick's day
to drive tourism to Ireland.
- The first organized St. Patrick's Day Parade was
held in New York in 1762. The parade consisted of
Irish soldiers serving in the English military, the
parade helped them reconnect with their Irish roots.
- The shamrock, which was also called the "seamroy"
by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland
because it symbolized the rebirth of spring.
According to legend, St. Patrick used the shamrock
to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity
(God exists as three persons--father, son, and the
Holy Spirit) to the Irish.
- St. Patrick's Day got its American start in 1737
in Boston. We celebrate St. Patrick's Day to
remember the achievements St. Patrick made during
his time.
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