Saint Patrick’s Day; the Luck, Leprechauns and Legend

March 17, 2014
By: Sarah Boha

Green attire, leprechauns and beer; modern day Saint Patrick’s Day wouldn’t be complete without the aforementioned list, but there are certain facts you may not know about the history of Saint Patrick.  Exploring the genesis of this holiday, you may be surprised that the paraphernalia we hold so dear to Saint Patrick’s Day came much later into association and stemmed from a much earlier history from what it has evolved into today’s festivities and celebrations.  So before you lift that pint of Guinness to your lips and sing along to “Danny Boy”, here are a few facts you may not have known about Saint Patrick and where the holiday originated.

Contrary to popular belief, Saint Patrick was not Irish.  He was born in Britain anywhere between 350-387A.D. and it is thought that he most likely lived in Wales.  Saint Patrick was kidnapped as a teenager and brought to Ireland where he was sold into slavery. He tended sheep for about 10 years before he escaped back to England. He then sought refuge in a monastery in Gaul for 12 years; where he became a priest, and later took his teachings back to Ireland.  

Pictured above: Badge of the Order of Saint Patrick

You may picture the patron saint of Ireland to be dressed in green robes judging by the sea of green you’ll see today; donned by your coworkers, in the decorations hanging around the office and even in your beer.  What may surprise you is that the color associated with Saint Patrick was in fact blue.  The Order of Saint Patrick was established in Ireland in 1783 as the highest echelon of chivalry.  This order associated themselves with a light sky blue color.  The color green came much later into association as the color is symbolic of the lustrous green pastures of Ireland.   

Shamrocks.  We wouldn’t have a complete Saint Patrick’s Day without the iconic symbol of the four leafed clover.  But, did you know that statistically you have a 1 in 10,000 chance of actually finding a clover with four leafs?  I suppose if you find one, you’re lucky.  Saint Patrick himself preferred the three leaf clover; he used it as an analogy to explain the Holy Trinity and it is said that he affixed shamrocks to his robes…Ok, I suppose green has some place in Saint Patrick’s wardrobe; how couldn’t he in the country called the “Emerald Isle”?

With the celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day, you may visit your bar or pub to have a round with your friends.  It wasn’t always this way, Saint Patrick’s Day was a dry holiday set aside as a Christian holiday in Irish law between 1903-1970.  All pubs in Ireland were shut down on Saint Patrick’s Day between the said years until 1970.  The modern holiday, as we know it, really took root in America and flourished in Ireland as a springtime tourism boost. 

All in all, when we hold up our glasses and say an Irish toast like, “As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point in the wrong direction”; thank Maewyn Succat.  Maewyn Succat may sound like the name of one of the pilgrims from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, but Maewyn Succat was Saint Patrick himself.  Saint Patrick’s name was changed when he joined the church and with it the way we celebrate Irish heritage forever.