St. Who? Just give me the green beer.
So the next Holiday that is coming up is St. Patrick’s Day. If you are like me you maybe wondering who is St. Patrick and why does he have a day. Well the answer may surprise you, well of coarse unless you already know who he is. Now why do we celibate this Irish Holiday and why in America?
The Patron Saint
Who the hell is St. Paddy? St. Patrick was the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland, thought to have been born in the year 387 A.D.. He was captured by Irish Slavers at a young age and after 6 years escaped from Ireland and went back to his family in northern Whales.
St. Patrick is credited for bringing Christianity to Ireland and described himself as a “humble-minded man.” Although he was credited for bringing Christianity to Ireland he was not the first, but St. Patrick is the only one famous for driving snakes away from Ireland, although some question whether Ireland ever had any snakes. However, pagan religions used the snake as a religious symbol and since St. Patrick was converting Pagans to Christians, many think this is what they really meant by driving the snake out of Ireland.
St. Patrick’s Day, converting even in death?
There are several versions of St. Patrick’s death. Some include using his jaw to aid in childbirth, epileptic fits, and to ward against the “evil eye.” Most will agree that he died around March 17th, 460 A.D.. Which is one reason to celibate St. Patrick’s Day around the 17th, the other reason was a common Christian Practice of Holiday Theft. That is right, the real reason for the Date march 17th was to disrupt the pagan holiday Ostara, a the 2nd celebration of spring solstice. The holiday was once only celebrated in Ireland but as the Irish population spread across the world the Holiday spread with it. We can all thank St. Patrick’s for one hell of a party.