Turning Green for Saint Patrick's Day
The patron saint of Ireland had some humble beginnings.
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Saint Patrick was born in Roman Britain, not Ireland.
St. Patrick’s Day is steeped in tradition. It’s a celebration among Irish people worldwide, honoring the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick, who died on March 17, 461.
The celebrations vary from religious ceremonies to more festive céilí gatherings, complete with Gaelic dancing and a whole lotta green.
Irish immigrants brought the celebration to America; the first parade took place all the way back in 1601 in St. Augustine, Florida.
More traditions followed. The city of Chicago dyes the Chicago River green. The White House hosts an annual shamrock event. Frat boys everywhere drink heavily (though that’s not exclusively a St. Patrick’s Day celebration).
Perhaps it comes as a bit of a surprise, then, that the man of the hour, St. Patrick, was not actually Irish. He was born in Roman Britain around 385 AD. As a 16-year-old, Irish raiders kidnapped him and brought him to Ireland as a slave.
After six years working as a shepherd, he eventually escaped and fled the country. He later returned to Ireland, bringing Christianity along with him to convert the Pagan Irish. Per reports of the time, he used a three-leaf clover to demonstrate the concept of the Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
There’s a legend that Saint Patrick drove snakes out of Ireland, though that isn’t true. He also didn’t program the game “Snake” onto every calculator and early phone.
St. Patrick’s Day became an official Irish holiday in 1903. Lawmakers were worried about Catholic celebrants becoming a bit too rowdy on the day, which falls during Lent. To counteract this worry, they banned bars from being open on March 17.
This law was repealed in 1961, so if you ever find yourself in Ireland in mid-March, you can “Sláinte!” with the best of them in honor of Saint Patrick.
St. Patrick was not Irish. He was a Romano-Briton meaning he came from an elite Roman family living in Roman colonial Britain.Institutionalized propaganda from the Catholic Church will tell you did so with a sense of humility and grace though upon further investigation, the real character of his crusade would more accurately describe him as a warlike bishop with delusions of grandeur.Digging into the history of St. Patrick’s Day, we uncover some unsettling truths. St. Patrick himself, a figure often celebrated for his missionary work, played a key role in the Catholic Church’s campaign to eradicate the animist Gaelic (Druidic) traditions in Ireland. As a result, the non-Christian population was persecuted and subjected to horrific acts of violence. St. Patrick and his followers committed crimes against the Gaels, such as forced conversions, destruction of sacred sites, and execution of those who refused to abandon their beliefs. Jesus did not condone violence, so this Saint Patrick man did not follow the teachings of Jesus, he was a Roman Imperialist. https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/decolonizing-st-patricks-day