The History and Mythology of St. Patrick’s Day

By Henry M. Holden                  

 There is one day a year when people of all ethnic groups can claim to be Irish. Saint Patrick's Day, (or from Gaelic: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, “Day of the Feast-day of Patrick”), is a cultural and religious celebration held on March 17, the assumed death date of Saint Patrick (385 – 461). The original reason for the celebration was the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.

More countries celebrate Saint Patrick's Day than any other national festival. It is a public holiday in seven countries and is widely celebrated in the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.

The Potato Famine that struck Ireland (1845-52) led to the immigration of over one-million Irish to the United States, in one decade, although it continued to a lesser extent into the early 20th century.

When Irish immigrants brought St. Patrick’s Day traditions to the United States, the day evolved into a secular celebration of Irish heritage and culture.

Saint Patrick's Day became an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century. Celebrations involve parades, céilís, a social event at which there is Irish folk music, traditional dancing, shared folklore, leprechauns, and all things Irish. Pubs served green beer and the folks in Chicago dye the river green (a tradition dating back to 1962).

Modern celebrations are still influenced by the Irish diaspora, the ethnic Irish and their descendants who live outside the island of Ireland and influenced by those that developed in North America.

What we know about Patrick is he wrote his own autobiography in the form of a Declaration. He was born in Roman Britain in the fourth century, into a wealthy Romano-British family, and became a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland.

The shamrock, a three-leafed clover is not only a feature of Celtic mythology, but it was also especially important in Irish legend in the spread of Christianity.

The shamrock, aka the “seamroy” was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland. It symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the seventeenth century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism.

Saint Patrick tried to inform the Celts on the Holy Trinity, but they could not understand what he was saying.

Patrick saw a clover and decided to use it to explain the Holy Trinity, the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit as one. The Celts realized what he meant, and that’s how the shamrock became so important in Irish history and social tradition.

Spirited music is often associated with St. Patrick’s Day—and Irish culture in general. From earliest days of the Celts, music has been an important part of Irish life. The Celts had an oral culture, where religion, legend and history were passed from one generation to the next by way of stories and songs. 

The English began to seize land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism.

The first British Law specifically banned the use of the Irish language was Article III of The Statute of Kilkenny in 1367. As a result, Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage, and their anger with English rule.

After being conquered by the English, and forbidden to speak their own language, the Irish, like other oppressed peoples, turned to music to help them remember notable events and retain their heritage and history, as it often stirred emotion and helped to galvanize the people.

One of the most lasting folklore stories is the legend that during his mission in Ireland, Patrick once stood on a hilltop (which is now called Croagh Patrick), and with only a shepard’s staff, banished all the snakes from Ireland.

The “banishing of the snakes” was a metaphor for the suppression of pagan ideologies from Ireland and the triumph of Christianity. Within two hundred years of Patrick’s arrival, most of Ireland was converted.

Each year, thousands of Irish Americans gather with their loved ones on St. Patrick’s Day to share a “traditional” meal of corned beef and cabbage. Cabbage has long been in the Irish diet, but it was at the turn of the 20th century that corned beef became popular.

Irish immigrants living on New York City’s Lower East Side substituted corned beef for their traditional dish of Irish bacon to save money. They learned about this inexpensive alternative from their Jewish neighbors.

One icon of St. Patrick’s Day is the Leprechaun. The original Irish name for these figures of folklore is “lobaircin,” meaning “small-bodied fellow.” They have appeared for centuries in Irish folklore. Belief in leprechauns stem from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny people who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. 

In Celtic folktales, leprechauns mended the shoes of the other fairies. Though only minor figures in Celtic folklore, leprechauns were known for their trickery, which they often used to protect their mythical pot of gold.

According to Irish mythology, butterflies move between worlds and bring messages and warnings. They are souls, waiting to be reborn on earth. Leprechauns are the cultural symbol of Ireland, with their names translated from ‘shoemaker’. They were said to roam Ireland before humans, with a unique hat and red hair.

In oral folklore, you can find their pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, so if you visit Ireland, be sure to look for a rainbow.  

The harp became cemented in the folk music tradition, everyday life, and popular culture of Ireland.

The Harp of Daghda is a national icon in Ireland. Folklore says that evil gods stole the first harp from the Daghda, a king in Irish/Celtic mythology. Daghda’s music made people feel transformed. The absence of music caused sadness to pass over the country. Eventually the evil gods gave it back to them, and joy returned to the land.

Now that you know some of the myths and legends from Irish folklore, you are safe to wander through the most rural parts of Ireland.

And if you visit, don’t forget to visit, and kiss the Blarney Stone. According to this author’s mother who was born in County Cork, if you hang upside down by your knees and kiss the Blarney Stone you will be given the “gift of gab” or a talkative streak.

Captions

Leprechauns stem from the Celtic belief in fairies, tiny people who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil.  (Public Domain)

The Harp is a national icon in Ireland. This illustration is Harp of Erin, from an 1855 engraving. (Public Domain)