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I shall pass through this world but once;
any good things, therefore, that I can do, or any kindness that I can show
to any human being, or dumb animal, let me do it now.
Let me not deter it or neglect it, for I
shall not pass this way again."
john galsworthy
Just what do we know about
the beginning of what we now call St. Patricks Day ?
Saint Patrick's Day (March
17th), is an Irish holiday honoring Saint Patrick, the missionary credited
with converting the Irish to Christianity (in the A.D. 400's).
Saint Patrick was not actually
Irish. Historical sources report that he was born around 373 A.D. in either
Scotland (near the town of Dumbarton) or in Roman Britain (the Romans left
Britain in 410 A.D.). His real name is believed to be Maewyn Succat (he
took on Patrick, or Patricus, after he became a priest). He was kidnapped
at the age of 16 by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland (I am not
making this up).
During his 6-year captivity
(he worked as a shepherd), he began to have religious visions, and found
strength in his faith. He finally escaped (after voices in one of his visions
told him where he could find a getaway ship) and went to France, where
he became a priest (and later a bishop).
When he was about 60 years
old, St. Patrick travelled to Ireland to spread the Christian word. It's
said that Patrick had an unusually winning personality, and that helped
him win converts. He used the shamrock, which resembles a three-leafed
clover, as a metaphor to explain the concept of the Trinity (father, son,
holy spirit).
Legend has it that Saint
Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland -- that they all went into
the sea and drowned. Poor snakes. I don't know why he would want to do
this, except that the snake was a revered pagan symbol, and perhaps this
was a figurative tale alluding to the fact that he drove paganism out of
Ireland.
In America, Saint Patrick's
Day is a basically a time to wear green and party. The first American celebration
of Saint Patrick's Day was in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737. As the saying
goes, on this day "everybody is Irish!" Over 100 U.S. cities now hold Saint
Patrick's Day parades, the largest held in New York City.
Green is associated with
Saint Patrick's Day because it is the color of spring, Ireland, and
the shamrock.Leprechaunsare also associated
with this holiday, although I'm not sure why. Leprechauns of legend are
actually mean little creatures, with the exception of the Lucky Charms
guy. They were probably added later on because capitalists needed something
cute to put on greeting cards.
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.
.
What's good luck on Saint
Patrick's Day?:
Finding a four-leaf clover (that's double the good luck it usually
is).
Wearing green is good .
(School children have started a little tradition of their own --
they pinch classmates who don't wear green on this holiday).
Kissing the
Blarney Stone.
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Glossary O' Terms
Leprechaun
, Irish fairy.
Looks like a small, old man (about 2 feet tall), often dressed
like a shoemaker,with a cocked hat and a leather apron. According to legend,
leprechauns are aloof and unfriendly, live alone, and pass the time making
shoes...they also possess a hidden pot of gold.
Treasure hunters can often track down a leprechaun by the sound of
his shoemaker's hammer. If caught, he can be forced (with the threat of
bodily violence) to reveal the whereabouts of his treasure, but the captor
must keep their eyes on him every second. If the captor's eyes leave the
leprechaun (and he often tricks them into looking away), he vanishes and
all hopes of finding the treasure are lost.
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.
The Blarney Stone
The Blarney Stone is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney Castle
tower in the Irish village of Blarney. Kissing the stone is supposed to
bring the kisser the gift of persuasive eloquence ( blarney ).
The castle was built in 1446 by Cormac Laidhiv McCarthy (Lord of
Muskerry) -- its walls are 18 feet thick (necessary to thwart attacks by
Cromwellians and William III's troops).
Thousands of tourists a year still visit the castle. The origins
of the Blarney Stone's magical properties aren't clear, but one legend
says that an old woman cast a spell on the stone to reward a king who had
saved her from drowning. Kissing the stone while under the spell gave the
king the ability to speak sweetly and convincingly.
It's tough to reach the stone -- it's between the main castle wall
and the parapet. Kissers have to lie on their back and bend backward (and
downward), holding iron bars for support. Can you imagine kissing something
that has had people's lips all over it for 500 years? Yuck!
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