St. Patrick's Day...European Style!

Now while I did not get the chance to visit Ireland on St. Patrick's Day (like my fiancee) or experience St. Patrick's Day weekend in Ireland pre-Patty's Day (like many of my peers), I do contend that I had a rather enjoyable day (and night).

However, amid the crowds of drunken Londoners and the free flowing rivers of Guinness, it seems as if the meaning of St. Patrick's Day has been lost in the shuffle, or simply forgotten due to the adoption of this new culture of "intoxication". In fact, even I was ignorant to the true meaning behind the day before I grew extremely intrigued (and ashamed for not knowing already). I believe that the aforementioned ignorance has only intensified across time, especially during the 20th century, since secular ideals seemed to heavily influence this period. So, in case anyone out there doesn't know the truth behind the day of green, Guinness, and good luck, I'm here to enlighten, so enjoy.

Saint Patrick's Day is supposed to honor St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, and is a holy day of obligation for Roman-Catholics in Ireland. It is also known as the "holy feast day". That seems simple enough, right? So when did honoring an important religious figure for spreading Christianity throughout Ireland become a day of getting plastered beyond belief with no regard for the religious aspect of the day in question?

I, unfortunately, cannot answer that. What I do know is that the meaning has obviously been lost, for just by looking at the festivities that take place on the day, you wouldn't assume it had anything to do with appreciating a saint. In fact, if the word 'saint' didn't precede Patrick, many individuals may simply assume that Patrick was a man who set the record for chugging the most pints of Guinness in 60 seconds.

To continue, there are two additional practices that have deviated from the original meaning. First, the color associated with Saint Patrick was blue, not green. What? Oh my, we've been bamboozled! Yes, it's true. Green came to be known as the color due to the phrase "wearing the green", which alluded to wearing a Shamrock on one's clothing to show Irish nationalism. However, it was not the color associated with St. Patrick, as was mentioned previously.

So the shamrock doesn't bring good luck? Well great, I searched field upon field at the tender age of seven, hoping that I would find a four-leaved clover to bring good luck, in addition to that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Moreover, if I really wanted to find the right clover to celebrate the day, I was looking for the wrong one. A three-leaved clover is the one to look for, for this is the tool that Saint Patrick used to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish.

So yes, my friends, if you didn't know this, you have been celebrating St. Patrick's Day simply for the hell of it, which can't be frowned upon, for most people just follow the bandwagon anyway. However, next year, you can attempt to do some justice to the holiday by drinking a pint of Guinness in the name of St. Patrick and sharing with your comrades the origin of your day of drunkenness.

I'll be sure to do the same. : )

Until next post,

Darrion