The Story of Saint Patrick's Day
A look at the origins of Saint Patrick's Day, from Patrick himself to its modern celebrations around the world.
Every March 17, people around the world take a day to celebrate Irish history, heritage, and the man who brought Christianity to the island. But who was Saint Patrick, and why is his name still remembered over 1,500 years after his death? And how did an Irish Catholic festival transform into a more secular international holiday? Read on to learn more about the origins of this day and how it has evolved in different nations.
Origins of Saint Patrick’s Day
As its name suggests, the story of Saint Patrick’s Day begins with the man Patrick, a bishop of the late Roman Empire. He is notable among early saints for leaving behind a written account of his life. Much of what we know about him is derived from his own words, preserved through the ages in his Confessio, or Confession.
Who Was Saint Patrick?
The man known today as Saint Patrick was born in the late 4th or early 5th century, a Roman citizen of the British Isles. According to popular lore, his birth name was Maewyn Succat; he only adopted Patrick at a later date. In his Confession, he describes his father Calpornius as a deacon of Roman Britain. At the age of 16, he was captured by Irish raiders, stolen away to the island, and forced into slave labor as a shepherd for several years. He eventually escaped, made his way back to Britain, and spent some time at the monasteries of Roman Gaul.
Whether or not Patrick was entirely honest in his autobiography is still a subject of debate. A more recent perspective on his life, put forth by scholars like Dr. Roy Flechner, portrays him as the son of a Roman tax collector, stuck working an unpopular job for a waning empire. In this version of events, Patrick inherited his father’s position after Calpornius joined the Church, and he left for Ireland to avoid his dangerous new duties. He may have actually departed for Ireland with slaves to sell, rather than as one.
Further Reading:
Patrick’s Conversion of Ireland
Whatever the case may be, Patrick’s story resumes with his sojourn in Gaul. There he was made a bishop, but he grew convinced that his life’s work lay back in Ireland. He returned to the island, intent on converting its people to Christianity. At the time, the vast majority of Ireland’s population practiced a branch of Celtic paganism, which recognized many deities of the natural world.
Patrick was not the first Christian missionary in Ireland. The island had already seen another bishop, a Gaulish nobleman named Palladius. Palladius, however, met with limited success and, fearing for his life, left within a few years. Patrick, on the other hand, knew how to speak to the Irish people in a language they recognized. He explained the Holy Trinity using the three-leafed shamrock, preaching to a faith that already saw three as a sacred number. He even challenged the authority of pagan kings, holding up his own survival as a sign of faith’s power. Later histories note his particular success among Irish women, who would become some of his most influential early converts.
After his initial successes, Patrick and his followers founded churches and monasteries across Ireland. He is thought to have died on March 17, 461. In his wake, he left behind the foundations of Irish Christianity, including the monastic system that would make it a center of art and learning in early medieval Europe.
Further Reading:
The Myth of Saint Patrick
Over the next few centuries, Patrick became an almost supernatural figure of Irish legend. Many miracles are attributed to him, most famously driving the snakes of Ireland into the sea. He has also been credited with resurrections, healing the sick, and producing miraculous supplies of food and water. His conversion of Ireland was said to be divinely aided, especially when pagan kings attempted to silence or kill him. The hymn Saint Patrick’s Breastplate is attributed to him, acting as a divine shield against his powerful enemies. Pilgrims traveled to remote sites like Saint Patrick’s Purgatory, a cave on modern Station Island where he was said to have been granted a glimpse of purgatory.
Further reading:
Saint Patrick’s Day
So, we have a fairly clear picture of Patrick’s life and historical importance. But why is the man who brought Christianity to Ireland now celebrated around the world? The answer begins with a medieval Catholic feast day and the much later Irish diaspora.
Saint Patrick’s Day as a Catholic Festival
Patrick was never officially canonized, though he has long been recognized as a saint. Formal canonization by a pope would not begin for several more centuries. Instead, most saints were venerated on a local level. Patrick therefore remained a popular religious figure of the British Isles and continental Europe. When his feast day coincided with Lent, people invoked his miracles to temporarily break their own abstinence from meat and alcohol. This no doubt helped to popularize his day among the masses.
By 1607, March 17th was officially recognized as Saint Patrick’s in Ireland, and the Roman Catholic Church declared it a feast day in 1631. These changes occurred at a time when Catholicism faced suppression in Ireland and Britain, which were decades into the long and bloody Protestant Reformation. For many Irish Catholics, Patrick came to represent the Ireland that was, an Ireland rapidly disappearing. Even as Protestantism grew more visible, the day was heralded with ringing bells and public processions.
The Irish Diaspora and Saint Patrick’s Day
The holiday in its modern form began to take shape in the 18th century, as Irish emigrants left their homes in search of new opportunity. With new lands, languages, and culture also came homesickness and a longing for community. Irish immigrants in the American colonies soon formed societies to support each other. The first recorded St. Patrick’s Day celebration in the Americas took place in 1737, when the Protestant Charitable Irish Society of Boston was founded on March 17. Private parties and parades were held in New York by at least 1762, and there are clear records of general revelry among Irish soldiers throughout the Revolutionary War.
In 2017, researchers found evidence of an even earlier celebration in North America. The continent’s oldest European settlement, Saint Augustine in modern Florida, apparently fired its cannons as part of the festivities in 1600 and 1601.
As more Irish immigrants entered American harbors in the 19th century, St. Patrick’s Day only grew in size and scope. It came to embody Irish heritage as a whole, marked by festivals, parades, feasting, and drinking. Nationalist movements and the later War of Independence in Ireland encouraged the wearing of green. Prior to this, the color blue was more commonly associated with the holiday.
Further Reading:
Saint Patrick’s Day Around the World
Saint Patrick’s Day is now an international holiday reflecting the global reach of the Irish diaspora. These are just a few examples of how it is celebrated around the world:
Ireland
In the Republic of Ireland, pubs were closed on March 17 until the 1970s. At that time, its government decided to embrace the influx of tourists for the holiday. What used to be a somewhat muted and religious holiday has transformed into a larger festival that can last for days, highlighted by a parade down the streets of Dublin.
United States
Perhaps the most ardent celebrations occur in the United States, where Irish ancestry is second only to German. The day is marked by hundreds of parades, green apparel, and general carousing. The holiday is not limited to people of Irish descent; it is common for those of all backgrounds to participate. In recent decades, cities like Chicago have taken to dyeing their rivers and fountains green on March 17.
Throughout the US, families prepare a meal of corned beef and cabbage for the holiday. This custom, however, is not especially Irish. Beef has never been an Irish staple; most farmers who raised cattle kept them for their dairy. Instead, similar traditional dishes from Ireland use bacon. New arrivals in the United States, however, found easier access to corned beef in urban delis. This prompted a cultural shift, leading to the corned beef widely enjoyed today.
Canada
Like the United States, Canada possesses a long and proud history of Irish immigration, particularly in Quebec. The city of Montreal is home to the oldest continuous St. Patrick’s Day parade in North America, held since 1824.
Australia
Australia, another colonial immigration hub, holds parades in many cities. It has also recently begun lighting the Sydney Opera House green to commemorate its Irish heritage.
Brazil
In Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, the holiday is most visible through the green lights used to illuminate the city’s famous Cristo Redentor statue. Local Irish pubs are also hotspots for music and merrymaking through the day.
Japan
St. Patrick’s Day has also found an enthusiastic home in Tokyo, which hosts an “I Love Ireland” festival on March 16 and 17. The event, coordinated between the Ireland Japan Chamber of Commerce and the Embassy of Ireland, features music, dance, performances, and Irish cuisine, followed by a parade.
And, as of at least 2011, St. Patrick’s Day has even had a presence in Low Earth Orbit! As you and your family come together to enjoy this holiday, we hope you will take some time to appreciate the global contributions of Irish culture and its people.
References
Bryan, Dominic and Jonathan Skinner. Consuming St. Patrick’s Day. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. 2015.
“Celebrating St. Patrick's Day 2015 in Rio De Janeiro.” The Rio Times, The Rio Times, 17 Mar. 2015, riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-entertainment/celebrating-st-patricks-day-2015-in-rio/.
Crimmins, John Daniel. St. Patrick's Day; Its Celebration in New York and Other American Places, 1737-1845. John D. Crimmins.
Cronin, Mike and Daryl Adair. The Wearing of the Green: A History of St Patrick's Day. Psychology Press. 2006.
Mulraney, Frances. “History Alert! Boston No Longer Oldest St Pat's Parade in the World, See Which US City Has the Oldest.” IrishCentral, IrishCentral, 11 Mar. 2019, www.irishcentral.com/roots/oldest-st-patricks-day-parade-us-city-new-york-boston.
Patrick. The Confession of St. Patrick. Translated by Thomas Olden, James McGlashan, 1853.
“St. Patrick's Day in Canada.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, The Canadian Encyclopedia, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/everybodys-irish-on-st-patricks-day-feature.
“The I Love Ireland Festival 2018.” Ireland Japan Chamber of Commerce, Ireland Japan Chamber of Commerce, www.ijcc.jp/events/i-love-ireland-festival-2018.
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