I know I have done a lot of history articles, but since I have done one for almost every other holiday, I figured that I would do one for this holiday too. St. Patrick’s Day was this past Sunday, and I thought that I would share a little bit about it with you. Now, I do not have a history degree, and I understand that sometimes I get things wrong or you might disagree with me. This has been an Irish holiday for over 1,000 years.
When this holiday falls, it is the season of lent, and the Irish would waive the lent procedure in order to celebrate. St. Patrick lived in the fifth century, and he was kidnapped from Roman Britain. He was then taken to Ireland as a slave at the age of sixteen. He later escaped, but he retired to Ireland. He is credited with bringing Christianity to the people of Ireland.
There is a myth that he explained the Holy Trinity with three leaves from a native Irish clover. People in Ireland have been celebrating this holiday since the ninth or tenth century, but the first parade was in America on March 17, 1601, in present day Florida.
The parades grew when homesick Irish soldiers marched the streets of New York City on March 17, 1772, in order to honor the saint. After that, many people began having these parades. Now, the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade is the world’s oldest civilian parade.
When the potato famine hit Ireland, a surge of immigrants came to the U.S. These immigrants soon realized that if they bonded together, they could have real power. These parades became a show of that power. Since then, many different cities have adopted different celebrations. Today, all people around the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. I hope you have learned something today! I know I have!
If you have any article ideas or suggestions, please feel free to email me at acch2006@outlook.com.
