Historical Lens Historical Lens PERSPECTIVE St. Patrick’s Day; an interesting history

By Joanne McQuarrie editor@columbiavalleypioneer.com

Shamrocks, green attire and parades; they have been part of Saint Patrick’s Day on March 17, for many years.

This is celebratory day for many, but it has a somber origin. Saint Patrick was a fifth century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland, says Wikipedia. In the ‘Declaration’, purportedly written by Patrick himself, he was born in Roman Britain in the fourth century into a wealthy family. Patrick’s dad was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest in the Christian church. When he was 16, Patrick was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Gaelic Ireland. Apparently Patrick worked six years there as a shepherd. He found God, who told him to flee to the coast where a ship would be waiting to take him home. Patrick made his way home and went on to become a priest.

Tradition says Patrick spent many years evangelizing the northern half of Ireland and he converted thousands of people. He died on March 17, sometime between 385 and 461 and was buried at Downpatrick , one of Ireland’s oldest towns.

Throughout the following centuries, legends grew about Patrick and he became Ireland’s foremost saint.

Shamrocks are associated with St. Patrick’s Day because St. Patrick is said to have used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity. There are a few explanations about the colour green being associated with St. Patrick’s Day. One happened in the 11th century when Goidel Glas, an ancestor of the Gaels and creator of the Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx languages was bitten by a venomous snake but saved from death by Moses placing his staff on the snakebite, which left him with a green mark. His descendants settled in Ireland and one climbed the Tower of Hercules and was so captivated by the sight of a beautiful green island in the distance that he set sail immediately.

These days, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations take many forms, including parades, festivals, church services, wearing green clothing and accessories, drinking green beer, eating Irish food and attending live Irish music concerts. One of the longest-running and largest St. Patrick’s Day parades in North America happens in Montreal, whose city flag includes a shamrock in its lower-right quadrant.

‘Prepare for Canada’, a Destination Canada Information Inc. site, urges folks to both have fun and be respectful about the Irish culture during the celebrations.

Watch for St. Patrick’s Day events in the area and have fun!