Katelyn Long
World History
Ms. Rizzo
12/16/10
Saint Patrick’s Day Saint Patrick’s Day is an old, historical Irish holiday. It has two histories, the history of Patrick himself, and the history of the day, March 17. It marked an important religious movement in Ireland’s history also. It was significant, and brings many of the important Irish symbols and legends together into one day. The person who was to become St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Wales, Scotland or Roman-England in about AD 373 to AD 390. His father was Calpurnius; he was a Roman-British army officer. His original name was believed to be Maewyn Succat, and he almost didn't get the job of bishop of Ireland because he didn’t have the required scholarship. Until he was 16, he considered himself a pagan; then he was sold into slavery on the west coast of Ireland by either a group of Irish marauders, or pirates that raided his village. During his captivity, he became closer to God. He escaped from slavery after six years this was when he started to convert to Christianity. He dreamed of having seen God; legend says, he was then dictated by God to escape with a getaway ship. Then he went to Britain where he studied in the monastery under St. Germaine, bishop of Auxerre for about twelve years. During his training he became aware that his calling was to convert the pagans to Christianity. His wanted to return to Ireland, to convert the native pagans to Christianity. But his superiors instead appointed St. Palladius, but two years later, Palladius transferred to Scotland. Patrick, who changed his name at that point, was then appointed as second bishop to Ireland. Patrick was quite successful at winning converts and this caused the upset of the Celtic Druids. Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time. He traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries across the country; he also set up schools and churches which would aid him in his conversion of the Irish country to Christianity. “During which he held ceremonies where he used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity” (wilstar.com). His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day. His mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years. After that time, Patrick retired to County Down. He died on March 17 in AD 461. That day has been known as St. Patrick's Day ever since. Saint Patrick's feast day, as a kind of national day, was already being celebrated by the Irish in Europe in the ninth and tenth centuries. Saint Patrick's feast day was finally placed on the universal liturgical calendar in the Catholic Church due to the influence of Waterford-born Franciscanscholar Luke Wadding in the early 1600s. Saint Patrick's Day then became a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics in Ireland. The St. Patrick's Day custom came to America in 1737. That was the first year St. Patrick's Day was publicly celebrated in this country, in Boston. The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched in Boston. The parade helped the soldiers reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army. Over the next 35 years, Irish patriotism among American immigrants flourished, prompting the rise of so-called "Irish Aid" societies like the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and the Hibernian Society. Each group would hold annual parades featuring bagpipes and drums. In 1848, several New York Irish Aid societies decided to unite their parades to form one New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade. Today, that parade is the world 's oldest civilian parade and the largest in the United States, with over 150,000 participants. Each year, nearly three million people line the 1.5-mile parade route to watch the procession, which takes more than five hours. Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Savannah also celebrate the day with parades involving between 10,000 and 20,000 participants. Today, people celebrate the day with parades, wearing of the green, and drinking beer. One reason St. Patrick's Day might have become so popular is that it takes place just a few days before the first day of spring. The first Saint Patrick's Day parade held in the Irish Free State was held in Dublin in 1931 and was reviewed by the then Minister of Defense Desmond Fitzgerald. In the mid-1990s the Irish government began a campaign to use Saint Patrick's Day to showcase Ireland and its culture. The government set up a group called St. Patrick's Festival, they wanted to show that the Irish had an importance, and also, they wanted to change the holiday from all of the Irish legends and stories put together. Leprechauns, the Blarney Stone, the harps, and even the color green really have no association with St. Patrick’s Day except that they were all Irish. Leprechauns are an Irish story that is said to bring riches to you if you find one. The Blarney Stone, is at Blarney Castle in Ireland, and the legend went that if you kissed the stone it would bring you the gift of persuasion over anyone. The harp is a symbol of Ireland that has been around for centuries. And lastly, even the color green wasn’t originally part of Saint Patrick’s Day. The color was originally blue, but since the color of Ireland is green the color was adopted into the holiday. Even though Patrick was not from Ireland, it is still a very important to the Irish. Christianity is one of the most followed religions in Ireland, and originally it was paganism. Saint Patrick made the most impact on the Irish, specifically the pagans. He taught and preached to them all over Ireland, and created the most amounts of followers. “That day’s spirit is to celebrate the universal baptization of Ireland” (www.theholidayspot.com). Also, it keeps the Irish remembering their past and to remember their religion if they have one. It brings them peace and happiness. It’s important in America also. It is one of the only Irish holidays, and on that day we recognize all of the important Irish legends and symbols. Saint Patrick’s Day is not only about Saint Patrick, but to American’s, about the entire country. They were green, and dress like leprechauns; also many people travel to Ireland around that time, so not only do they get to celebrate that day, but learn more about the Irish culture and history itself. Also, it is a holiday that the American’s take and get drunk, even though Irish are only supposed to have one pint of beer with their traditional feast of corn beef and cabbage. Saint Patrick’s Day has multiple histories, from himself, to the day, to a significant part of the countries’ history. It has importance to many different countries, especially Ireland and The United States of America.

Work Cited
“History of St. Patrick's Day." (2007): n. pag. Web. 15 Dec 2010. <http://www.theholidayspot.com/patrick/historyofpatrick.htm>.
McNamee, Gregory. "St. Patrick's Day: Why It's Important." Britannica Blog. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., March 17th, 2008. Web. 15 Dec 2010. <http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2008/3/happy-st-patricks-day>.
"Saint Patrick's Day Symbols." n. pag. Web. 15 Dec 2010. <http://www.english-zone.com/holidays/st-patsymbols.html>.
“St. Patrick's Day." The History Channel Website, 2010. Web. <http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day>.
Wilson, Jerry. "St. Patrick's Day." Wilstar.com n. pag. Web. 15 Dec 2010. http://wilstar.com/holidays/patrick.htm