St. Patrick's Day
St. Patrick's Day
He was a slave at the age of 16 and later became a Christian priest. He allegedly chased out all “snakes” out of Ireland by explaining the Holy Trinity with a three-leaved shamrock. He is the best known Irish patron saint, whose holiday celebrations are among the most widely recognized in the world. St. Patrick has his Day, or, the Feast, on March 17; it is a national holiday for the Irish, who spread the tradition to the neighboring UK and through the whole world.
Their culture is now widely celebrated in all English-speaking countries and more. People participating in the festivities wear green, display images of leprechauns and clovers, and rejoice in tasting Irish food. The holiday, called Lá Fhéile Pádraig in Gaelic, used to be a purely religious occasion, but as it became secular, the tradition was commercialized. That is why, although the holiday is immensely popular and successful, many Christians regard its present form as controversial.
The legend of St. Patrick began in the second half of the 5th century, when he evangelized the Gaelic druids of Ireland and died, supposedly on March 17. First Christian festivities connected to his saintly figure took place already between the 9th and 10th century. As he was becoming an authority in Ireland, his holiday was introduced into the liturgical calendar in the 17th century. Since the Feast of St. Patrick is held during Lent, there was established a policy allowing a break for joyous celebration. By the power of the Bank Holiday (Ireland) Act 1903, the day became a public observance in Ireland. That is also the year when the first parade took place in Waterford and Irish Language Week was proclaimed. In 1916, parades across Ireland served the purpose of motivation for Irish Volunteers, who soon enough incited the Easter Rising. Dublin began to sponsor a great St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1931. The situation was more complicated for Northern Ireland, which in the middle of the 20th century was torn between the Protestant Union loyalists and the Catholic Irish nationalists. Because of the conflict, the Feast of St. Patrick was frowned upon among the unionists; there has been a notable bomb attack on a Catholic pub celebrating the holiday in 1976. Already in 1985, however, the Orange Order tried to claim the day and the characteristic parade. That is when the British Anglicans began to fully recognize the holiday.
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations used to exclude selling alcohol (banned 1927 - 1961), but starting from the 1970s, the tradition became more and more secularized and commercialized. The holiday became a nationwide party, though many devout Christians still attend special St. Patrick masses. The most prominent event on March 17 is St. Patrick’s Festival, organized annually since 1996. Apart from the famous parade, the city of Dublin celebrates a 4-day festivity including concerts, firework displays, theatrical pieces and Irish cuisine tasting. The most popular dishes and drinks of the day are: corned beef and cabbage, Irish brown bread, Irish coffee, stew, potato soup, beef and Guinness pie and Irish whisky.
Apart from mass entertainment, folklore and religion are still prominent in small towns and villages, particularly Downpatrick, County Down, where St. Patrick is supposedly buried.
Many interesting events also take place in Great Britain, where the Queen Mother herself honors the holiday, presenting shamrocks. The biggest parade occurs in Birmingham, but London’s Trafalgar Square and the streets of Liverpool and Manchester are also filled with spectators. A significant number of Irish men and women live in Glasgow, where a Festival has been held since 2007. Many large cities in Great Britain organize Irish week or two weeks, during which schools and institutions teach and organize events concerning Irish history and culture.
St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland and a public holiday in Northern Ireland. Most institutions, businesses and all schools and post offices are closed on March 17. Many pubs and shops are open, however, under the condition that their workers will be provided with another day off or additional pay. In Great Britain, the Feast is a regular day, but Irish culture is very vibrant there. St. Patrick’s Day is proof of how influential the Irish can be, and how religion and folklore can merge into an immensely popular secular holiday.