Why Do We Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

While this isn’t a national holiday on which people take off work across the country it is a widely observed holiday for many communities. March 17 is observed as St. Patrick’s Day thanks to the Irish saint who is reportedly died on that date many years ago.

There is some historical fact available about St. Patrick, along with a great deal of legend and myth. Most of the information about this important saint comes from writers who produced “histories” from the first centuries after the birth of Christ. Most records show that St. Patrick was born in Britain in 387 A.D. during the time that Rome’s influence spread across the known world, all the way to what are now the British Isles.

Apparently Patrick was captured by the occupying forces and spent several years as a prisoner in Ireland. Supposedly he studied religious books and became a very religious person during this time. He ultimately became a priest when he returned to England after his imprisonment.

St. Patrick is believed to have produced a passionate and detailed “declaration” that stated the residents of Ireland called to him to live and work there. His efforts on the Emerald Isle resulted in the conversion to Christianity of many among the Irish population. It is also believed that much of the myth and legend surrounding the shamrock or three-leaved clover came from St. Patrick’s use of this symbol to represent the Father, Son and Holy Ghost of the Christian Holy Trinity.

Sketchy records show St. Patrick died in Ireland after living a long, long life (possibly as long as 100 years). Legend has it that he is buried in Downpatrick in the County of Down. He has not officially been recognized as a saint (canonized) but is still viewed as such by nearly everyone in Ireland and thousands more around the world.

The Catholic Church of the modern day does celebrate March 17 as St. Patrick’s Day. It is observed as a feast day. This recognition stems from the 1600s and a church scholar of the time. For many, the day is celebrated both as a community and a religious holiday. Parades are a common event on this day, beginning with what is recognized as the first St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1931.

The Irish in the United States began to recognize this as a special day on a wider scale with the observance in Boston in the 1760s. Some credit the city of Quebec (Canada) as having the first St. Patrick’s Day parade on this continent. Of course, one of the common elements of the day is “wearing o’ the green.” Large amounts of food and drink are also a usual part of the March 17 celebrations. An official, national holiday in Ireland, the day is recognized in many other locations. Not only do the celebrants memorialize the saint himself, they honor the culture and history of Ireland by eating, drinking, dancing and singing throughout the day on March 17 every year.

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