St. Patrick's Day History
St. Patrick's day is celebrated on March 17, the day when Saint Patrick is believed to have died. Saint Patrick is credited for bringing Christianity to Ireland, thus becoming the patron saint of the island. His Confessio and Epistola, the only 2 works written by him that survived, are an autobigraphy and a denunciation of how the British mistreated the Irish christians.
The belief that St. Patrick scared the snakes away from Ireland is a symbolism of the abolishment of pagan rites, such as the worship of serpent symbols.
St. Patrick's Day is a religious holiday in Ireland, when most businesses close and people attend mass and pray for missionaries around the world. The Irish then celebrate at restaurants or pubs, which remain open, or at their homes.
As Irish immigrants celebrated St. Patrick's Day in their new home countries, it began to be associated with everything Irish, such as shamrocks and leprechauns.
History of The Irish Shamrock
Why are shamrocks related to Ireland? According to legend, the shamrock was a sacred plant to the Druids of Ireland because its leaves formed a triad, and three was a mystical number in the Celtic religion, as in many others. The Druids were priests of this ancient Celtic religion and were taken as prophets and sorcerers.
History of the Irish Leprechauns
In Irish folklore, leprechauns are elves that can reveal a hidden treasure to those who catch them. They are mischevious little old men. Their trade is that of shoemaking and they are very rich.
One of the many tales involving leprechauns tells of a pot of gold being hidden at the end of the rainbow.
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