Saint Patrick’s Day

If you’ve been feeling unlucky, don’t worry! St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. On Saturday, March 17, the Luck of the Irish will be shared around the world in many ways, from Irish pubs to the local parade. But not everyone understands the true meaning of the holiday. We have all eaten the Lucky Charms cereal, we have all seen the green shamrock, but not everyone knows the story of the man himself, St.Patrick.

At the young age of 16, St. Patrick was kidnapped and sold into slavery. After six years, he had a vision from God and escaped. He then devoted his life to the study of religion and becoming a saint. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland due to his legacy there. He converted the entire island to Christianity which is truly an amazing feat. According to legend, he drove all the snakes from Ireland. 400’s Ireland had a mostly pagan population before St. Patrick came along. He used the 3 leafed clovers or shamrocks to show how the trinity all comes from the same stem. Of course, his mass conversion of the island is well known, but other parts of his journey are less known. 

During the Irish potato famine and other periods, many Irish immigrants moved to the United States. They brought some of their culture with them, and thus many cities started St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, including the parades which are still put on today. These immigrants also left other legacies in America, including (generations later) one of the most famous Irish Catholics, John F. Kennedy.

The leprechaun, a secondary mascot of St. Patrick’s Day, is a sort of “degenerate fairy” who isn’t truly good or evil. He mends shoes and is a very solitary creature. The one we know today is actually a stereotype popularized in the 20th century. Something interesting about these creatures is, if you are lucky enough to catch one of these devious creatures, they’ll grant you three wishes. However, they are cunning and use the wisher’s greed against them. The earliest mention of the leprechaun was way back in medieval times, in a story where a king managed to catch a leprechaun.

So if you are feeling unlucky, or enjoy the story behind the day, then don’t worry, because St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner.