St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day

Saint Patrick’s Day or Feast of Saint Patrick, “ the Day of the Festival of Patrick”. Is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death day of Saint Patrick. Saint Patrick’s Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion.  It’s celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general.  Saint Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.  On St Patrick’s Day it is customary to wear shamrocks and/ or green clothing or other accessories, a three-leaved plant, to explain Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish. St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity’s most widely known figures. But for all of his prevalence in culture, namely the holiday held on the day of his death that bears his name, his life remains somewhat of a mystery.

Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attending to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish. The Irish culture centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth.