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The
History of Saint Patrick's Day
St
Patrick is known as the patron saint of
Ireland. True, he was not a born Irish.
But he has become an integral part of the
Irish heritage, mostly through
his service across Ireland of the 5th
century.
Patrick was born in the later half of the
4th century AD. There are differing
views about the exact year and place of his
birth. According to one school of
opinion, he was born about 390 A.D., while
the other school says it is about 373 AD.
Again, his birth place is said to be in
either Scotland or Roman England. His
real name was probably Maewyn Succat.
Though Patricius was his Romanicized
name, he was later came to be familiar
as Patrick.
Patrick was the son of Calpurnius, a
Roman-British army officer.
He was growing up as naturally as other kids
in Britain. However, one day a band of
pirates landed in south Wales and kidnapped
this boy
along with many others. Then they sold him
into slavery in Ireland.
The was there for 6 years, mostly
imprisoned. This was when changes came
to him. He dreamed of having seen God.
Legend says, he was then dictated by God to
escape with a getaway ship.
Finally, he did escape and went to Britain.
And then to France. There he joined a
monastery and studied under St. Germain,
the bishop of Auxerre. He spent around 12
years in training. And when he
became a bishop he dreamed that the Irish
were calling him back to Ireland to
tell them about God. The Confessio,
Patrick's spiritual autobiography, is the
most important
document regarding this. It tells of a dream
after his return to Britain,
in which one Victoricus delivered him a
letter headed "The Voice of the
Irish."
So he set out for Ireland with the Pope's
blessings. There he converted
the Gaelic Irish, who were then mostly
Pagans, to Christianity. He was
confident in the Lord, he journeyed far and
wide, baptizing and confirming with untiring
zeal. And, in a diplomatic fashion he
brought gifts to a kinglet here and a
lawgiver there, but accepted none from
any.
Indeed, Patrick was quite successful at
winning converts. Through active
preaching, he made important converts even among
the royal families. And this fact upset the
Celtic Druids. Patrick was arrested
several times, but escaped each time. For
20 years he had traveled throughout Ireland,
establishing monasteries across the country.
He also set up schools and churches which
would aid him in his conversion. He
developed a native clergy, fostered the
growth of monasticism, established
dioceses, and held church councils.
Patrick's doctrine is considered orthodox and
has been interpreted as anti-Pelagian.
Although he is not particularly noted as a
man of learning,
a few of his writings remain extant:
his Confession, a reply to his detractors,
and several letters. The Lorica
("Breastplate"), a famous hymn
attributed to Patrick, may date to a
later period.
By the end of the 7th century Patrick had
become a legendary figure,
and the legends have continued to grow since
then. There are many legends
associated with St Patrick. It is said
that he used the three-leafed shamrock to
explain the concept of the Trinity;
which refers to the combination of Father,
Son, and the Holy Spirit. Hence its
strong association with his day and name.
Legend also has 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.
True, these are mostly legends. But, after
some 1500 years, these legends have
been inseparably combined with the facts.
And together they have helped us know much
about the Saint and the spirit behind
celebration of the day. Patrick's
mission in Ireland lasted for over 20 years.
He died on March 17, AD 461. That day
has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day
ever since. The day's spirit is to
celebrate the universal baptization of
Ireland. Though originally a Catholic
holy day,
St. Patrick's Day has evolved into more of a
secular holiday.
Or, rather, 'be an Irish Day '. And
the Irish has borne it as part of
their national tradition in everywhere they
populated and prospered.
The Catholic feast day for this most loved
of Irish saints has become a holiday in
celebration of the Irish and Irish culture.
The leprechaun, a Celtic fairy, has become
entrenched as a chief symbol for this
holiday, as is the shamrock,
an ancient symbol for the triple goddess
Brigit. It is fitting that this holiday
should fall at the time of the year when the
return of spring begins to seem at hand.
But why the icons like the green color,
the tri-leafed shamrock, the leprechaun, or
the pot of gold and Blarney's stone- all
came to be associated with the celebration
of this Day? And what do they all mean? Click
Here to learn
http://www.theholidayspot.com/patrick/historyofpatrick.htm |
