There's some controversy behind the idea of who created St. Patrick's Day. While the holiday we know and celebrate today is nothing like it once was prior to the 1970s, there was a patron saint known as Saint Patrick, and he did come to Ireland. His name and history are still beloved by the country and while the celebrations may have changed over time, the tribute to the saint still remains at the forefront for many people. With that being said, how many people actually know the true reason for celebrating St. Patrick's Day?
Many answers would be splashed across the board in response to this, not limited to: for the sake of leprechauns, to celebrate Ireland and its culture, to celebrate our own heritage, to wear green and drink green beer, and the list goes on. Only those who know the history of Ireland and those who know the history of the Catholic religion and Christianity in the country are likely to know the holiday's true purpose. In reality, the day, and its date, carried with them a heavy significance.
A Somber Day For The Death Of A Saint
March 17th, rather than being St. Patrick's Day first, was initially the date of death for Saint Patrick. During the 5th century, Saint Patrick became the patron saint of Ireland and for thousands of years now, the country has mourned his death as just that. In order to appreciate the history of Saint Patrick, though, we must first explore a little bit of Ireland's history and acknowledge the fact that at one point, there was no sign of Christianity anywhere in the country.
Originally, Saint Patrick came from Banna Venta Berniae, in Roman Britain. He also wasn't known by the name of Patrick and actually had several names - Maewyn Succat, Magonus, Succetus, Cothirthiacus - before taking the name of Patricius which is where we get the name Patrick from. Interestingly enough, Saint Patrick was not always a believer and it wasn't until he was enslaved by Irish pirates that he actually converted to Christianity. While he was enslaved for 16 years, he worked as a shepherd in northeastern Ireland, all the while learning about the language and culture of the country. This helped upon his return, which didn't happen until years later when he had a vision of bringing Christianity to the Irish people. At the time, the country was mostly druidic and pagan, therefore, Christianity was both a foreign concept and one that was had not been introduced to Ireland.
A Not-So-Warm Welcome
While Saint Patrick's intentions were good, one simply couldn't have expected a warm welcome when looking to convert pagans and druids to Christianity. Therefore, the saint remained on a small set of islands just off the mainland of the country, working slowly to convert people one by one. He soon grew a small group of followers over the years that he spent preaching and as his followers grew, so did his presence in Ireland. Eventually, he was able to move back to the mainland where he continued preaching throughout the country. During this time, it's believed that Saint Patrick was responsible for baptizing as many as 100,000 people, as well as aiding in the creation of 300 churches and their clergy.
As Christianity slowly became the sole religion of Ireland, Saint Patrick was held in high regard. Contrary to popular belief, though, there is one thing he didn't do - banish the snakes from Ireland. In reality, there are no snakes in the country and never have been to the knowledge of experts. So while he wasn't responsible for driving snakes from the land, he was responsible for helping many to find their path to Christianity, and his method of doing this, it's believed, was by using the shamrock.
This small clover isn't just symbolic of Ireland in terms of its color and abundance, but through its spiritual meaning, too. It's believed that Saint Patrick actually used this plant to teach the Irish about the Holy Trinity, as the shamrock traditionally has three leaves. This worked in more ways than one; druids and pagans have always felt a connection with the number three, so it made sense that the Holy Trinity would also ring true in alignment with their beliefs. During the 17th century, St. Patrick's Day - as it's known today - was actually known as 'Feast Day' and was held in celebration of the patron saint, as well as Christianity throughout Ireland.