St. Patrick’s Day

The 17th of March marks the Feast of St. Patrick. A day traditionally dedicated to celebrating the Christian Saint Patrick. But which has grown and developed into a celebration of Irish heritage and culture as a whole.

Saint Patrick

Although many specifics of his life have been lost to history or are up for debate, St. Patrick is traditionally remembered as a Christian missionary and priest. He is seen as having brought Christianity to Ireland. Converting much of the population from traditional paganism. This is commonly remembered as the story of St. Patrick having driven snakes from Ireland, an allegory for paganism. Tradition says that St. Patrick passed away on the 17th of March, leading to that day being a day of national celebration in Ireland.

Celebrations

These celebrations typically take the form of public parades with traditional Irish music and the wearing of green clothing. More recently, there has also been a tradition of famous landmarks being lit up with green lights. This includes the  Colosseum in Rome or the Empire State Building in New York. In Ireland itself, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are used to emphasise and celebrate the Irish language. The two weeks leading up to St. Patrick’s Day are a festival dedicated to promoting Irish language use.


St. Patrick’s Day has become rather infamous for its revelry. With the day practically being synonymous with sessions of heavy drinking. There is actually a historical basis for this. St. Patrick’s Day falls during the period of Lent, a Christian observance in the lead up to Easter where Christians refrain from a particular luxury for 40 days. With alcohol being a common choice. Traditionally, St. Patrick’s Day was seen as a day exempt from Lent restrictions. So that many choose to use it as a chance to indulge as much as they could before going back to fasting.

The Irish Diaspora and the significance of the day

The mass migration of Irish people during the 19th century has led the spreading of St. Patrick’s Day traditions worldwide. It is one of the most celebrated national holidays around the globe, with the celebration actually being more popular amongst the Irish diaspora than the population of Ireland itself.  Ireland did not even have St. Patrick’s Day parades until the 20th century. A major reason for this is that many celebrations of Irish pride were banned in Ireland until the early 20th century. Meaning that members of the diaspora living overseas were the only ones able to carry out these celebrations and saw the day as a chance to remember where they came from.

So if you’re out celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on the 17th (or have already gotten your celebrations out the way over the weekend!). Try to remember that the day is more than just a chance to party, but is a celebration of Irish tradition.

 

By Matthew Ferrie

Photo by Erika SZ

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