This is one of my favorite holidays out of the whole year and yes it does have something to do with me being Irish. So, I thought I would write this blog about why we celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
Have a fun and happy St. Patrick's Day everyone and be safe. No drinking and driving!
Why We Celebrate St. Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day (March 17th), is an Irish holiday honoring Saint Patrick, the missionary credited with converting the Irish to Christianity (in the A.D. 400's).
Saint Patrick was not actually Irish. Historical sources report that he was born around 373 A.D. in either Scotland, near the town of Dumbarton or in Roman Britain.
His Father was named Calpurnius, a Roman-British army officer. The Romans left Britain in 410 A.D..
Saint Patrick's real name is believed to be Maewyn Succat. He was called "Patrick", or "Patricus", after he became a priest.
He was kidnapped at the age of 16 by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland (A true story).
During his 6-year captivity, while working as a Shepherd, he began to have religious dreams, and found strength in his faith.
He finally escaped, after having a dream, given to him from God, telling him how to escape and where he could find a getaway ship.
He went to France, where he became a Priest and later a Bishop, (which cannot be proven). He studied there for twelve years.
When he was about 60 years old, St. Patrick traveled to Ireland to spread the Christian word.
It's said that Patrick had an unusually winning personality, and that helped him bring people to Christianity.
Saint Patrick used the shamrock, which resembles a three-leafed clover, as a metaphor to explain the concept of the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).
{The Shamrock has one Stem and Three Leaves, representing the entire Trinity The three leaves are each a representative of Father (God), Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit}.
Saint Patrick spent twenty to thirty years in Ireland, spreading and sharing the Word of God and Christianity.
By the end of the 7th century, Patrick had become a legendary figure, and the legends have continued to grow since then.
One of the more prominent legends, reflects that Saint Patrick had put the curse of God on venomous snakes in Ireland and he drove all the snakes into the sea where they drowned.
Yes, some of this may be legend, but Saint Patrick was a Real Man who brought Christianity to Ireland.
He died on March 17th, in the year 461 A.D., which is why we set that date to Celebrate Saint Patrick's Day!
The first Saint Patrick's Day America celebrated, was in Boston, 1737.
