St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. However, he did not start out as a religious man. St. Patrick or Maewyn was originally a pagan. And for the first sixteen years of his life, he remained a pagan. It was during his sixteenth year that he was sold as a slave and it was also due to this slavery that he became a believer. St. Patrick was able to eventually escape from slavery and study Religion under St. Germain. A few years after, he became the second bishop to Ireland. St. Patrick was famous for a lot of things but he was most famous for being able to convert pagans into God fearing believers. On March 17, 461 A.D, he passed away to be with the Lord. This date marks the world renowned celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.
St. Patrick’s Day was originally celebrated in Ireland alone. However, due to the emigration of Irish natives to the United States, these Irish-American settlers made it a point to bring back and celebrate their traditional customs. It was in Boston on 1737 that the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held. Now, this Irish celebration includes parades, green costumes and three-leaf shamrocks. Sometimes, you might even be able to find a man dressed up as a leprechaun carrying a fake pot of gold during the parade.
A three leafed shamrock holds a lot of stock on St. Patrick’s Day. This is because of the Irish tale that told of the story that St. Patrick would like to tell pagans. The story revolves around the three leafed shamrock that was used by St. Patrick to explain the existence of three beings in one entity. It is because of this significant factor that people traditionally wear a three leafed shamrock upon their lapel.
St. Patrick’s Day is commonly associated with the color green. Yet, this calming color is not the original color of St. Patrick’s Day. The actual color of this Irish holiday is blue. Green was affiliated with the day of St. Patrick because of the mark of spring. Also, according to Irish beliefs, green is the color which is used by fairies, immortals and those who would like to have a bountiful harvest.
St. Patrick’s Day has influenced a lot of people, establishments and even our breakfast cereals. Green beer served solely on March 17 is one of those influences that have been actualized. This particular Irish holiday has come to great lengths to spread the good cheer and celebration to everyone. So, in return, let’s get our green costumes ready and prepare to celebrate in our beloved Rappahannock County.