It’s St. Patrick’s Day again, as if you needed reminding . . . as if all of the parades, people dressed in varying shades of green, paper shamrocks pasted up everywhere, vile-looking green beer being chugged by people who normally hate beer, and children decked out as leprechauns hadn’t already tipped you off.

Have you ever wondered what all the hoopla is about? Who was St. Patrick anyway, and why is he celebrated in such a boisterous manner every year? Well, I have, and I’m about to share my discovery with you. Yay!

Briefly, Saint Patrick (Irish: Padraig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and Bishop in Ireland. Known as the “Apostle of Ireland,” he is the primary patron saint of that country. Although he was never formally canonized — having lived before the current laws of the Catholic Church were established in such matters — he is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, the Church of Ireland, and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Well, that’s all very interesting. But there are a lot of saints out there — patrons and otherwise — who are worshipped, for various reasons, by a lot of people around the world. Why has this one continued to capture everyone’s attention, and in such a jolly way?

First of all, March 17th marks Padraig’s death, not his birth, in the year 461 in Saul, County Down, Ireland. In fact, he wasn’t born in Ireland at all; he was thought to have come from either Wales or Scotland, to spread the word of Christianity. In Ireland, the holiday has been a more religious one, commemorating the life and death of a revered patron saint.

And just as a bit of trivia, it is said that St. Patrick utilized the very plentiful shamrock as a metaphor for the Christian Holy Trinity. Today it is said to symbolize faith, hope and love.

The first St. Patrick’s Day parade actually took place way back in 1737 in the United States, in Boston, Massachusetts (a city with a large Irish population even today) — a tribute dreamed up by early Irish immigrants in their adopted country. The first parade in Ireland wasn’t held until 1903, in the city of Waterford (land of beautiful, expensive crystal).

So the partying aspect of the holiday — which shouldn’t surprise anyone — can be laid firmly at the feet of the fun-loving population of the United States. Although started by the Irish settlers, everyone loves a good party, and it didn’t take long for the rest — French, Italian, Swedish, Chinese, whatever — to jump on the big green bandwagon and join in the frolic.

In other words, St. Patrick’s Day is basically an excuse to PARTA-A-AY!!

And why not? In a world full of grim headlines, we all need a break now and then, and any excuse will do. So put an O’ before your name, don everything you own that’s green, grab your best friends, and appoint a designated driver. It’s all in good fun.

*. *. *

But before you go, may I offer you the following:

Lovely people, the Irish.

Just sayin’ . . .
O’Brendochka
3/17/24