Hey guys. As some of you may or may not have known, I took place in my town's own Irish Day parade as part of the local high school marching band. The parade took place a week after St. Patrick's because of weather conditions. The parade was still very successful, there were many people lined up along the sidewalks to see all the groups marching, and there were green things everywhere(except for our uniforms, which are blue and white!). All of this got me thinking about where exactly St. Patrick's Day came from, and why it's so popular. A little searching helped me figure it out.
It's known that Saint Patrick was the patron saint of Ireland in the fourth and fifth centuries AD, just as San Fermín is the patron saint of Pamplona, and La Virgen de Guadalupe is the patron saint of the Americas today. According to Wikipedia, Saint Patrick was appointed a high ranking bishop of Ireland after another priest was transferred to Scotland. He set up many schools and churches to convert the Celtic Druids to Christianity. It says he spent thirty years in Ireland, effectively converting most of the population. He then retired to to Northern Ireland where he spent the rest of his life. The holiday came to America in 1737, although it was not celebrated as a completely public holiday until just recently. The first St. Patrick's Day festival(a three day event) took place in Ireland in 1996. Nowadays, the holiday is celebrated as a secular event in many places in Northern Europe and North America. It certainly is interesting to see the making of such an interesting holiday, and how it pertains to world culture.
It's known that Saint Patrick was the patron saint of Ireland in the fourth and fifth centuries AD, just as San Fermín is the patron saint of Pamplona, and La Virgen de Guadalupe is the patron saint of the Americas today. According to Wikipedia, Saint Patrick was appointed a high ranking bishop of Ireland after another priest was transferred to Scotland. He set up many schools and churches to convert the Celtic Druids to Christianity. It says he spent thirty years in Ireland, effectively converting most of the population. He then retired to to Northern Ireland where he spent the rest of his life. The holiday came to America in 1737, although it was not celebrated as a completely public holiday until just recently. The first St. Patrick's Day festival(a three day event) took place in Ireland in 1996. Nowadays, the holiday is celebrated as a secular event in many places in Northern Europe and North America. It certainly is interesting to see the making of such an interesting holiday, and how it pertains to world culture.
Comment