who is St. Patrick and why is there a holiday in his name? Does it really have anything to do with Irish or lepricahns?
2007-02-15 15:09:51 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ St. Patrick's Day
mostly its a day to drink lots of beer
2007-02-15 15:42:44 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
He was a Breton Roman nobleman who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Ireland. He spent a lot of time thinking about God- he was a Christian- and when he escaped, he vowed to return and introduce Christianity to Ireland. There is evidence he wasn't the very first Christian in Ireland but he defiinitely was the most successful missionary, because his influence affects Irish society still.
He is the patron saint of Ireland and his feast day is celebrated. It is a holy day, and though they now have parades llike they do here in the US, it is more solemn and holy in terms of its celebration.
Irish who emigrated to America continued to celebrate the day, and since it was also a day for family gathering, they tended to be more maudlin and vocal about it, seeing as only the Irish celebrated on that day. Thus we get many cities having parades and doing stupid things like dumping green dye in the rivers.
In Boston, March 17 is the anniversary of the day George Washington successfully routed the British from the city, forcing them to evacuate. Evacuation Day is a city holiday and all the city offices are closed. The Irish have basically taken over the parade and it is now the St Patrick's Day parade.
So obviously St Patrick has everything to do with being Irish and nothing to do with leprechauns. Leprechauns are legendary spirit creatures, like the puca and BanSidhe and others. Americans who are non-Irish seem to be fascinated with leprechauns, which I never quite understood.
Shamrocks, the oxalis plant, are unique to Ireland and grow no where else in the world; they are a three-leaf green plant (NOT four-leaf as some erroneous pics show). The legend has it that Patrick used the shamrock to illustrate to Laoghaire, the Irish king, the existence of the Trinity- representing three persons in one God. Thus shamrocks have a lot to do with St Patrick also.
2007-02-15 15:32:49 · answer #2 · answered by CYP450 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá 'le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig), colloquially - but to some a derogatory term - Paddy's Day, is the feast day which annually celebrates Saint Patrick (386-493), the patron saint of Ireland, on March 17. It is the national holiday and one of the public holidays in the Republic of Ireland (a bank holiday in Northern Ireland); the overseas territory of Montserrat; and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated worldwide by Irish people and increasingly by many of non-Irish descent. Celebrations are generally themed around all things green and Irish; both Christians and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of the holiday by wearing green, eating Irish food, imbibing Irish drink, and attending parades.
The person who was to become St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Wales about AD 385. Patrick, having adopted that Christian name earlier, was then appointed as second bishop to Ireland. Patrick was quite successful at winning converts. And this fact upset the Celtic Druids. Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time. He died on March 17 in AD 461. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since.
VR
2007-02-15 15:19:13 · answer #3 · answered by sarayu 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it is Irish, no, it has nothing to do with leprechauns. St. Patrick supposedly drove the snakes out of Ireland but there were never any snakes in Ireland. Ol' St. Pat drove the last of the Druids out of Ireland.
2007-02-16 05:56:34 · answer #4 · answered by Huggles-the-wise 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
St. Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland. Its the reason he was sainted. And no, there is NO evidence there ever was snakes there. I believe it is another time when "THE CHURCH" stole a "pagan" holiday to help control the masses.
2007-02-15 15:17:52 · answer #5 · answered by Noota Oolah 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The country of Ireland was mostly made up of wicans, well this didn't suit the king of England at that time so he ordered a priest to go turn them into catholics when he dies that day was memorilized in rememberance of him. not there's nothing that has anything to do with leprechans, gaelic is Irelands native language and leprechan is gaelic for dwarf.
2007-02-19 08:15:48 · answer #6 · answered by brandyswilkes 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know if the legend is true, but according to legend, he was a saint who some how (mystically?) successfully got rid of all the poisonous snakes in Ireland (or at least in his vilalge). And the people were grateful to him.Or at least, that's what I heard in school, when I was a kid. But for some people, it's also about ancestery.
2007-02-18 10:04:24 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
well its named St.Patrick cuz Christmas is Christ,Valentine is Valentine ,and if u look on a calendar the celebrate a whole bunch of things as holidays or just special days.and i think it does have some thing to do with Irish people
2007-02-16 09:02:07 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Patrick came to Ireland and brought us the faith nothing to do with me leprechaun Shamus
2007-02-15 23:37:37 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think it was a about a guy and when he died they made him st patrick
2007-02-16 02:22:06 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋