St. Patrick’s Day History and Traditions
This holiday is celebrated every year on March 17th, honoring the Irish patron saint, St. Patrick. The celebrations are largely Irish culture themed and typically consist of wearing green, parades, and drinking green water. Some churches may hold religious services and many schools and offices close in Suffolk County, the area containing Boston and its suburbs.
People all over the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, especially places with large Irish-American communities. Feasting on the day features traditional Irish food, including corned beef, corned cabbage, coffee, soda bread, potatoes, and shepherd’s pie. Many celebrations also hold an Irish breakfast of sausage, black and white pudding, fried eggs, and fried tomatoes. Common traditions include parades, green decorations in streets and even in rivers, religious services and pea planting.
Saint Patrick – The Missionary and Bishop of Ireland
St. Patrick, or the “Apostle of Ireland,” actually started out in the pagan religion. While not much is known about his early life, as many of his life’s details were lost to folklore, letters from St. Patrick reveal that he was captured in Wales, Scotland, or another close area outside of Ireland and taken to Ireland as a slave. Years later, he escaped and returned to his family, who were Romans living in Britain, going back to Ireland for mission work after finding a place as a cleric and then Bishop within the Christian faith. He was born around 460, and by the 600s, he was already known as the Patron Saint of Ireland.
There are many legends associated with St. Patrick. The symbol of the shamrock used for St. Patrick’s Day comes from the story of St. Patrick using the shamrock to illustrate the Holy Trinity. The three-leafed plant coincided with the Pagan religion’s sanctity of the number three and is the root of the green colour theme.
Celebración de san Patricio
Como cada 17 de marzo, San Patricio hace salir a la calle a millones de personas que celebran al misionero cristiano y su símbolo del trébol vestidos de verde, disfrazados de duendes y con grandes desfiles y mucha cerveza.
Para los irlandeses es el día de la patria, de la unidad y del orgullo nacional con un marcado sentido religioso, pero para el resto del mundo es una celebración alegre y con suficientes ingredientes como para vivirla en la calle y sumarse a la marea verde de chaquetas, gorros y tréboles.
La tradición irlandesa cuenta que Patricio fue secuestrado por unos piratas de 16 años y fue trasladado a Irlanda. Fue vendido como esclavo, aunque consiguió escapar, regresó con su familia a Irlanda.Con el propósito de llevar el cristianismo consigo, hacerse sacerdote y convertirse en misionero cristiano.
Patricio logró expandir el cristianismo mucho más rápido y de manera más efectiva consiguiendo desechar las creencias paganas de los habitantes locales.Se le atribuye el milagro de ahuyentar a las serpientes de Irlanda y lo relaciona con el símbolo del trébol, porque es de lo que se valía el futuro santo para explicar el misterio de la Santísima Trinidad: Dios es uno, el trébol, pero trino a la vez, Padre, Hijo y Espíritu santo.