March 17th
After the dead of winter, Saint Patrick's day is a welcome sign of spring. A day for wearing the color green for the Irish and non-Irish alike. It's a celebration of the Emerald Isles patron saint but now it's time to separate St. Patrick fact from the blarney.
The story of St. Patrick's day goes back to 5th century Britain. Where a 16 year old boy, Maewyn Succat, was kidnapped by Irish marauders he remained a sheppard slave in Ireland for six years until a vision directed him to escape.
Back home in Britain, Succat had another vision beckoning him to help the people of Ireland so he took his vows as a priest and adopted the Christian name Patrick and in 432AD returned to Ireland on a mission.
In his autobiography, the confesso, Patrick wrote about converting the Irish to Christianity while building schools and monasteries along Ireland's north and west coast. One popular myth has Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland. The truth is there were never snakes on the island, this is probably a metaphor for Patrick cleansing the island of paganism. Another myth has Patrick using the shamrock to teach the holy trinity. This legend is possible but Patrick never wrote about it.
So why does the holiday fall on March 17? Supposedly it's the day Patrick died in 461AD. Since then Irish Christians have marked the anniversary as a holy day. Beginning in the middle ages, Irish Catholics would close shop and attend church and honor the feast of St. Patrick and it was time to celebrate.
St. Patrick's day falls within Lent, the season before Easter when Catholics give up their vices as penance. The feast of St. Patrick was a one day reprieve when Irishmen could down a pint or two of ale. This custom really took off.
The first St. Patrick's day in colonial America occurred in Boston, 1737 with a parade organized by the Charitable Irish Society. New York City followed in 1762.
Today New York's 5th Avenue parade is America's most famous, largest and rowdiest St. Paddy's day tradition.
During the 1840's when Ireland was starving from the potato famine millions were forced to leave. The mass migration sent Irish to Canada, Australia and America. As the Irish settled in their new countries they brought along old customs and invented a few more. In the United States it became customary to wear green on St. Patrick's day.
Toward the end of the 19th century the smell of corned beef wafted from Irish American neighborhoods. The traditional Irish meal was boiled bacon and potatoes, but in the states immigrants could find a cheap piece of beef tenderize it with brine and slow cook it with cabbage. The dish remains a delicious Paddy's day tradition.
As the Irish in America gained influence in politics and culture their exclusive holiday became a nationally recognized celebration. And it all began over fifteen hundred years ago when a boy was torn from his family. Little could he know that his life would inspire parades, fashion and yes the hoisting of a few pints to toast this special day.
Saint Patrick’s Day Conversation
Kate: Hi, Eoin, how are you today?
Eoin: I'm really good, thank you.
Kate: So please tell me where are we now?
Eoin: We're in Auckland, New Zealand and it's St. Patrick's day today.
Kate: Oh, wow! What day is today?
Eoin: March the 17th. That’s St. Patrick's day in New Zealand.
Kate: Oh, cool, that all over the world isn't it?
Eoin: That's right but everybody else is behind us by a few hours.
Kate: Oh, I see.
Eoin: Yep, so we're the first people to celebrate St. Patrick's Day! Haha.
Kate: Right because of the time then, right, exactly. Please tell me more about St. Patrick's. What kind of a party is this?
Eoin: In New Zealand, any excuse for a party and we'll have one and St. Patrick's Day is traditionally a day where people with Irish heritage dress in green because that's the national color of Ireland, and drink lots and lots of alcohol.
Kate: Yeah, this sounds so cool. So where are we going now? What are we going to do?
Eoin: Well we’re sitting here for the parade and we're all dressed in green and some of us have green wigs on, and some of them are sparkly, and some of them are curly and we have funny hats on and green finger nails. Then we’ll run home and clean up. Sometimes we put food coloring in the food and beer and make it green. Then it’ll be time to hit the Irish bars.
Kate: Why all this obsession with green?
Eoin: I think because it's a very Irish thing. New Zealand is a very young country and we have a lot of people with Irish heritage here so they want to connect with their ancestors and it's one way to do that.
Kate: And green would be like the national color of Ireland?
Eoin: Yeah, and New Zealand is black and white which is very boring.
Kate: Oh, OK. So, we had breakfast, please tell me a bit about our breakfast.
Eoin: Well, this morning we had a traditional Kiwi breakfast which was hashbrowns, bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes and baked beans, so that will probably mean we don't need to eat now for the rest of the day.
Kate: Why not?
Eoin: Because now we drink! Large glasses of Guiness, which is a traditional Irish beer. It's a very bitter, malty beer. Very creamy.
Kate: OK, so then, how do you say cheers in Irish?
Eoin: Slainte!
St. Patrick's Day Word List
A Saint
A person who served God and performed three miracles in their life.
the Emerald Isle
Another name for Ireland
patron saint
The saint prayed to by a group of people. eg. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland.
Blarney
rubbish, lies.
Marauders
Pirates
Sheppard
a job. To take care of the sheep.
a vision
like a dream, something you “see” that you need to or should do.
Beckon
to ask, with hand movement to come here.
Vows
promises
adopted
to take ownership
a mission
a task/job to do. Usually used in religious contexts.
Autobiography
A book written about your life...by you.
Converting
to change from one thing to another thing. AC to DC or from one religion to another.
monastery
where monks live
myth
a story or belief that is not true
metaphor
a picture or example to describe something else
pagan
non-Christian
shamrock
a small green plant with 3 leaves. a.k.a clover.
holy trinity
God in the Christian faith. The Father (1), the Son (2), the Spirit (3)
legend
a story that is amazing. (or a person). Hard to believe, but could be true.
anniversary
the day something happened, year by year. e.g. Wedding anniversary.
Honor
to respect
Lent
Catholic 'celebration'. Lasts for 40 days.
Easter
Christian celebration. Christ's death and resurrection.
a vice
something to help you relax. eg. Drinking alcohol, smoking.
Penance
to do something to make up for something bad
reprieve
a break, time out
a pint
a measurement of volume. normally for beer/ale.
Colonial
been colonized. i.e. For America, having Europeans move and live there.
Rowdy
very noisy
famine
starving, no food
mass
a lot
migration
moving from one country to another to live
corned beef
meat slowly cooked in salty water with cabbage.
wafted
to drift but for smells/odor. The smell wafted out the door.
tenderize
to make more tender/soft.
Brine
salt water
influence
to change or affect opinions
torn
past tense of tear = to rip or take away with force
inspire
encourage strongly
hoist
to lift
