St Patrick's Day

History

St Patrick's Day was originally celebrated as a religious festival to remember the Irish saint, Patrick. It is celebrated on March 17th because that is the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. St Patrick is said to have driven the snakes from Ireland.

The first St Patrick's Day parade took place in the United States in 1762. Irish soldiers serving in the British military marched through New York City accompanied by traditional Irish music. It helped the soldiers to reconnect with their homeland which they had not seen in a long time and in some cases had never seen.

When the Great Potato Famine hit Ireland in 1845, close to one million poor, uneducated, Catholic Irish immigrated to America to escape starvation. They were meet with persecution from the mainly Protestant Americans. They had trouble finding work to feed their families. Sadly when the Irish decided to organise a parade to celebrate St Patrick's Day and their unique heritage, the local newspapers portrayed them as drunk, violent monkeys in their cartoons.

After a few years the number of Irish immigrants in America grew to make them into a political power. They started to organize, and their voting block, known as the "green machine", became an important swing vote for political hopefuls.

After that the annual St Patrick's Day parades became a show of strength for Irish Americans, as well as a must-attend event for a slew of political candidates. In 1948, President Truman attended New York City's St Patrick's Day parade, a proud moment for the many Irish whose ancestors had to fight stereotypes and racial prejudice to find acceptance in America.

Traditions

St Patrick's Day is celebrated by many different people from many different backgrounds. Even places such as Japan, Singapore and Russia have St Patrick's Day celebrations.

For the last 50 years in Ireland, St Patrick's Day has been primary a religious festival. Up to the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that all pubs be closed on March 17.

St Patrick's Day falls during the Christian season of Lent. For a thousand years Irish families have attended church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

In 1995 the Irish government decided to use the festival to help tourism and showcase Irish culture to the world. So it has grown to a multi-day celebration of parades, concerts, theatre and firework shows.

In New Zealand people traditionally dress in Green and hang cardboard shamrocks and leprechauns to commemorate the day.

The Shamrock

There's a dear little plant that grows in our isle, 'Twas Saint Patrick himself, sure, that set it; And the sun of his labour with pleasure did smile, And with dew from his eye often wet it. It grows through the bog, through the brake, through the mireland And they call it the dear little Shamrock of Ireland (Irish Blessing)

The shamrock used to be known as the "Seamroy" and it symbolises the cross and the blessed trinity. Before the Christian era it was considered a sacred plant of the Druids. Three is a magical number in Ireland so the shamrock became a symbol of that power.

It is said that St Patrick used the shamrock as an illustration of the trinity in his open air preaching to the people of Ireland.  It is also connected with the legend of the banishment of the snakes of Ireland. Tradition stated that snakes are never seen on trefoil and that it is a remedy against the bites and stings of snakes and scorpions.

The Leprechauns

A leprechaun is an Irish fairy. One of the little folk that lives at the bottom of the garden. The name leprechaun may have derived from the Irish "Leath bhrogan" which means shoemaker. The other irish word it could be from is "Luacharma'n" which means pygmy.

Leprechauns are usually seen as aged little men and are frequently found to be intoxicated by home-brewed beer but never so drunk that they can't function.

In legend, leprechauns are also the self-appointed guardians of ancient treasure, hiding it in crocks or pots. Leprechauns are said to avoid contact with humans because they think humans are foolish, flighty and just after their gold. If caught by a human a leprechaun usually promises wealth in exchange for freedom. Legend dictates that he carries two leather pouches, one with a silver coin and the other with a gold coin. The silver coin once paid out is magically returned to the pouch once the leprechaun has escaped. The gold coin turns to leaves or ashes once the leprechaun has departed.

One thing to remember when you have caught a leprechaun - you must never take your eye off him, for he can vanish in an instant and then you will never get your treasure.