Well, it just came to my attention that, while I have celebrated two St. Patrick's Days on this blog already, I have failed to write something about the history behind it!
Typically, St. Patrick's Day is just a saint's day commemorating St. Patrick who was the patron saint of Ireland. The reason it is quite well celebrated still today and so widely spread, is most likely the fact that it had a certain Irishness incorporated into it, such as wearing green, which started mostly in the 17th century. This was only heightened during the 1798 Rebellion, where wearing green became more of a thing of patriotic pride than anything else.
Shamrocks were worn on St. Patrick's Day at about the same time green was; leprechauns, on the other hand, never have had anything particular to do with this holiday, and I think that's just some random things the American's threw into the mix. Leprechauns are simply characters from Irish folk and fairy tales. It's odd how random things like this get into the mix...
Here's a webpage that goes into the history of St. Patrick and St. Patrick's Day a bit: http://www.theholidayspot.com/patrick/historyofpatrick.htm
So, wear green today, do something a little Irish, and Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all!
Slainte, Hazel
Saturday, March 17, 2012
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