St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick was the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland.

March 17 is widely accepted as the date of St. Patrick’s death in A.D. 461.

Was there really a St. Patrick? Definitely. Did he really drive the snakes out of Ireland? Probably not. 

At age 16 (around A.D. 400), Patrick was kidnapped from his home on the west coast of England and carried off to Ireland. After six years, he escaped; upon returning home, he received his call (in a dream) to preach the Gospel. He spent the next 15 or so years in a monastery, preparing for his missionary work. Although some Christians lived in Ireland at the time, it was Patrick who spread Christianity throughout the land and brought an organized church into existence.

We wear a shamrock on St. Patrick’s Day because Patrick used its three leaves to explain the Holy Trinity. The Trinity is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit as three divine persons who are one divine being (God).  Note: The symbol of St. Patrick is a shamrock, not a four-leaf clover!

However, long before the shamrock became associated with St. Patrick’s Day, the four-leaf clover was regarded by ancient Celts as a charm against evil spirits. In 1911, the four-leaf clover was chosen as the emblem for a newly founded national agricultural club for children, later named 4-H.

The first St. Patrick’s Day parade in the American colonies was held in New York City on this day in 1762.

St. Patrick’s day is the traditional day for planting peas, even in the snow!

Cabbage seeds are often planted today, too, and old-time farmers believed that to make them grow well, you needed to plant them while wearing your nightclothes!