Hello and Happy St Patrick’s Day to all our family and friends from us at Livin’ The Smith Life!

Most, if not all of you, have heard of St Patrick’s Day and may wear green for it, but may not fully understand what it is or why it’s celebrated. So today, I am going to tell you all why it’s so important to the Irish community.

St Patrick’s Day is a day that commemorates Saint Patrick.  You may not know that Patrick was not Irish, but British. When he was 16, he was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders and transported to Ireland. He spent 6 years there as a slave before escaping. During his 6 years in captivity, he worked as a shepherd.  He was lonely during this time of his life and turned to his religion, becoming a devout Christian.

After he escaped, Patrick went back to England, but then saw an angel in his dreams, telling him to return to Ireland and become a missionary. He spent the next 15 years studying religion and was then ordained by the Catholic Church. He was sent to Ireland to convert the Irish to Christianity and minister to the Christians already living there. At the time, the Irish practiced a nature based pagan religion that centered around oral legend and myths.

Because Patrick was already familiar with the Irish culture and language, he used this knowledge to incorporate traditional Irish customs into his lessons on Christianity.

For example, the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire, so he used bonfires to celebrate Easter. Another example is the Celtic cross.  He superimposed a sun, which was a powerful symbol in Irish custom, onto the cross to make it seem more natural to the Irish.

Even though Patrick is known as the patron saint of Ireland, he was never actually canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church.  He was most likely proclaimed a saint due to having spread Christianity throughout Ireland.

Some Interesting Facts About St Patrick and St Patrick’s Day:

• St Patrick never wore green.  His color was blue. The color green only became associated with St. Patrick’s Day after it was linked to the Irish independence movement in the 18th century.
• According to Irish legend, when he was first introducing Christianity to Ireland, St Patrick used the shamrock as a metaphor for the Holy Trinity.
• St Patrick has been credited for driving snakes out of Ireland, however fossil records show that Ireland has never been home to snakes. It’s likely that Ireland was too cold for reptiles during the Ice Age and the surrounding seas have most likely kept snakes out.
• St Patrick was born “Maewyn Succat” but changed his name to “Patricius” after becoming a priest.
• On or around St. Patrick’s Day, the Irish prime minister (Taoiseach) presents the U.S. president with a crystal bowl of live shamrocks as a symbol of the close ties between the two countries.
• St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th, which is the day that St Patrick died.

Fun St Paddy Day traditions:

• Wear green and shamrocks.
  Even though St Patrick’s color was blue, green has become the color of St. Patrick’s Day. This is because, through legend, leprechauns can’t see green and can’t pinch you if you are wearing green.
• Enjoy some soda bread, corned beef and cabbage.
  I prefer Shephard’s Pie myself, but this is the traditional St Paddy’s Day meal
• Looking for leprechauns.
  Have a treasure hunt and let your little’s (and the adults can join in too) look for leprechauns or “gold”.
• Enjoying Irish Music and Dance.
  Nothing better than good traditional Irish music and step dancing, right?
• Learn some Irish phrases
  Here’s a traditional Irish blessing to start you out. “May the Irish hills caress you. May her lakes and rivers bless you. May the luck of the Irish enfold you. May the blessings of St. Patrick behold you.”
• Attend a Church Service honoring St Patrick
  Because it’s a religious holiday, many Catholics hold a mass on St Patrick’s Day
• Irish Day Parades and festivals
  These you can find almost everywhere you go.
• Drink a Guinness
  Always best enjoyed with friends. Irish Whisky is good too!