“Top O’ the mornin’ to you!”, “Lads and lasses!”, and “Kiss me I’m Irish!” These sorts of Irish greetings are more common one day each year. That day is March 17th, also known as St. Patrick’s Day.  A day when millions of folks of Irish descent and non-Irish alike come together in a celebration. The day when the color green is worn by millions internationally and famous parades, such as the one in New York, occur. But, how much do people really know about the tale of St. Patrick and what’s myth and fact in the tale?

    Did you know that, while contrary to popular belief, St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish? He was actually born in what is now considered Great Britain, whether it was in England, Wales, or Scotland, experts can’t say but all agree that he was definitely not Irish born. The story behind Patrick becoming the patron saint of Ireland is a long one, so we’ll try to keep it short here. Basically, at the age of 16, Patrick was kidnapped and taken to what is now Ireland by his captors. While imprisoned, he had a religious awakening in which he claimed to have heard the voice of God telling him to return home to Great Britain. He listened, escaped, returned home and dedicated his life to the church. After becoming an ordained priest, Patrick was said to have another vision; this time it was an angel telling him to return to Ireland. 

Patrick returned to Ireland to spread the word of Christian faith and he founded many churches and monasteries and spread the teachings of the Christian faith. Prior to Patrick, Ireland was largely a pagan culture which had little too no experience with the teachings of the bible. The myth of Patrick driving all the snakes out of Ireland is just that, a myth. The fact is there were never any snakes in Ireland to begin with. However, some scholars believe that the origin of the myth is rooted in Patrick’s devotion to spreading the Christian faith among the pagan populations of Ireland. Paganism has long been associated with snakes and so the myth of Patrick driving snakes from Ireland is really a metaphor for his work to establish the Christian church in Ireland.

The reason we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th, is that this day marks the day of Patrick’s death in the year 461 a.d. So, that’s a brief history of how this holiday began. How it came to be known for Leprechaun’s, pots of gold, and other things we can’t really talk about in a school newspaper, is another story. But, whether you’re Irish or not, enjoy the celebration of all things green!