Going GREEN-- Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Saint Patrick really did exist. He was born in the latter half of the 4th century, and his given name was probably Maewyn Succat. He is not considered to have been particularly religious, but he was kidnapped into slavery by Irish pirates at age 16, and held prisoner for six years, during which time he turned to God and became a devout Christian. Legend has it that God spoke to him in a vision, telling him it was time to leave Ireland, so he escaped to Britain. He had a dream calling him to return to Ireland to minister to the Christians there and to convert the pagans to Christianity, which he did after 12 or15 years training under St. Germain,bishop of Auxerre.

Now a priest, Patrick was quite successful at converting the pagans, which angered the Celtic Druids. They arrested Patrick several times, but he managed to escape each time. For 20 or 30 years he traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries and setting up schools and churches to aid him in converting Ireland to Christianity.

Patrick wrote of how he was called back to Ireland in The Confessio, his spiritual autobiography. It tells of a dream after his return to Britain, in which one Victoricus delivered him a letter headed "The Voice of the Irish."

St. Patrick has indeed become a voice of the Irish. He died on March 17 in AD 461, and is now celebrated on March 17th, the day named for him. In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick's Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. But St. Patrick's Day as we know it today is an American holiday. The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. The celebration helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots. Today, the day celebrates Irish pride and culture.

But it's also a lot of fun! You don't have to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

How did the shamrock come to be associated with St. Patrick? He understood the Irish culture, and used that to convert the pagans. He superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, and thus married Christianity to pagan symbols to more easily teach. In this vein he also used, legend goes, the three-leaf clover, or shamrock--called "seamroy" by the Celts-- to symbolize the Trinity and to explain the concept of the 3-in-1, because the shamrock symbolized--to the Celts--the rebirth of spring. Three was considered a magical number to the Celts. It multiplies to nine, which is sacred to Brigit, who is associated with, among other things, poetry and an eternal flame.

The leprechaun is an Irish fairy--a shoemaker for the other fairies, and a sour little soul at that. He possesses a hidden pot of gold, but he's tricky!

The Blarney Stone is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney Castle tower in the Irish village of Blarney. Kissing the stone is supposed to bring the kisser the gift of persuasive eloquence (blarney).

Happy St. Patrick's Day! May you find your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

Make it a good one!

Links:

StPatty's.com
St Patrick's Day Crafts
Printables
Party Ideas
Recipes
Clipart
Who was St. Patrick?
History, crafts, a little of everything!
Wiki
More St. Patrick's Day Clipart on my site--An Enchanted Letter (click "Freebies, "clipart")