Brian J. Denning, Contributor
TODAY, THE Irish nation (and its diaspora across the world) celebrates St. Patrick's Day, the Irish national holiday which is celebrated annually on March 17. People in cities, towns and villages all over Ireland will partake in the festivities.
These include: church attendance (it is traditionally a day for both spiritual renewal and prayer for missionaries worldwide), 'wearing green' (including sprigs of Irish shamrock), participation in traditional parades, celebrations with family and friends as well as music sessions held in the many pubs throughout Ireland.
EXTRAVAGANT PARADES
Cities across the world with a large Irish population put on extravagant parades (the New York and Boston parades are world-famous) and some even dye their rivers green for the day! One or two beers are also consumed!
For one day in the year, persons of every race, colour and creed trace their Irish roots (real or imagined!) and participate in the music, chat and merriment (or ceol, caint agus craic as we say in the Irish language Gaelige
(pronounced 'gail-guh').
So, who was St. Patrick and why is he the focus for Ireland's national holiday? He is credited with converting the Irish people to Christianity and establishing the Celtic Church in the 5th century AD. As a boy of 16, Patrick was captured by raiders in Wales and sold to an Irish chieftain.
He spent several years in slavery, herding sheep until he escaped following a dream in which a voice told him a ship would be waiting to take him to Gaul (France).
He studied there, became a priest and later received prophetic dreams in which he heard the people of Ireland call him to come and walk among them again.
Patrick returned without hesitation, despite the fact that in 400 years no one had taken the gospel beyond the boundaries of Roman civilisation.
His hatred for the institution of slavery and his unequivocal condemnation of it led Patrick to become a champion of the downtrodden and excluded.
BANISHED SNAKES
Patrick's humble approach and respect for the Irish, combined with his 'Christianising' of Celtic pagan festivals met with huge success, and within 30 years Patrick founded over 300 churches and converted over 120,000 people to Christianity.
Many legends about St. Patrick abound including that he banished snakes from Ireland and used the shamrock (a type of clover native to Ireland) to explain the Holy Trinity to pagans.
Legend also has it that although Christ will judge all the other nations on the last day, it will be St. Patrick sitting in judgement on the Irish!
Patrick died in Ireland circa 461 AD and is traditionally believed to be buried on the Hill of Down in Downpatrick, County Down (in Northern Ireland). St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland (he is also the patron saint of Nigeria). Happy St. Patrick's Day or, as we say in Ireland - Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig!
