St. Patrick's Day, the national Irish holiday, spread worldwide and
celebrated by Irishmen on March 17. It is thought, that day everybody can
turn into "Irish for the day". Parades, green color, shamrock, leprechauns -
there are the main attributes of the day all over the world.
About Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born on March 17, 415 in
Wales in the family of roman citizens. At 16, he had been kidnapped, sold
into slavery and brought in Ireland. He had to be a shepherd, and just here,
he believed in God. Six years late, he had heard the god's voice that
foretold the return home. The young shepherd ran away the captivity, reached
for the coast and asked the seamen to take his on the board. As the captain
answered no, so Patrick started praying and suddenly the captain agreed.
When Patrick came back, he decided to be a man of God, and late he reached
for Ireland again as a missionary.
There're several legends, related the Patrick's name. He explained the Holy
Trinity with using of three-leaf clover. It's said, that once during the
Lent Patrick was fasting for forty days and nights, and God was afraid for
his life and he asked Patrick to stop fasting. Patrick agreed but only on
the three terms: the Irish are not obliged to live under the oppression
always; Ireland must be flooded in seven days for the end of the world;
Patrick by himself will be judge on Judgment day. Moreover, Saint Patrick
asked all snakes to meet by his feet and drove them out of Ireland.
Traditions and symbolism:
Parades
It's customary to hold parades that day. Many people, dressed extravagantly,
attend parades. The holiday procession, accompanied the brass bands with the
famous bagpipes, go through the streets of many cities. The tradition to
hold parades is born not in Ireland but in USA, and two cities - New York
and Boston - are fighting for the garland. The first parade took place in
1762, in New York (and the most magnificent parades happen here nowadays),
however the first American St. Patrick's Day celebration was in 1737 in
Boston. Today, the festival parades hold in many cities, from Dublin to
Sidney and from New York to Moscow.
Shamrock
By legend, Saint Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity's
meaning. He told that as these three leaves can grow from one stem, as God
can be one in the three persons. So the tradition to attach the shamrock's
leaf (the symbol of a cross, Catholicism and "emerald country") to clothes
is existing in Ireland for ages. By tradition, if you have found four-leaf
shamrock that day, so your luck doubles.
Green color
Green is the most important of symbols of St. Patrick's Day. The tradition
to wear green that day is observed in workplace, in schools, on the
streets - everywhere. It's customary to be pinched that day if you are not
wearing something green. Of course, you have to drink only green beverages
that day. However, St. Patrick was wearing blue and moreover, green always
was a color of evil spirits and Irishmen avoided this color. So, it'll be
enough to wear only a small green ribbon on St. Patrick's Day.
Leprechauns
It's the fairy crispins, the owners of hidden pot of gold. If man catches a
leprechaun, so the fairy creature is obliged to reveal the place where the
treasure is. As the crispins are very naughty so their tales are not truly
always, and if you're going to ask leprechauns about gold, you have to be
very careful : ) Greeting cards with leprechauns, dressed in leathern aprons
and cuspidate hats, are the indispensable attributes of St. Patrick's Day.
Drinking of alcohol
It's necessary to drink at least one drink of alcohol (it's all the same -
Irish whisky, beer, cider or something else) in some Irish pub that day.
There's so called "St. Patrick's cup" - the unit of whisky measuring on St.
Patrick's Day. By lore, it's necessary to put the shamrock in whisky glass
before drinking. It's so-called "drowning the shamrock".
