A few days after the Irish holiday, thousands of people are expected to be seen in green the next Monday, March 17 To celebrate the San Patricio Day With parties full of beer. However, although many decide to participate in the celebration, not everyone knows the origin of this tradition.
Every March 17 the death of San Patriciothe patron saint of Ireland And, for this reason, for the Irish has become the most important celebration of the year, since it is considered the day of the homeland, unity and pride. Also It is celebrated in USA and in other western countries.
According to various media from the United Kingdom, the real name of St. Patricio was Maewyn Sucat And he was not Irish, but Scottish. However, the story mentions that in 385, the young man was kidnapped by pirates at age 16 and taken to Ireland, where they ended up selling him as a slave.
A decade later, after recovering his freedom, Maewyn escaped to France to become priest with the aim of returning to Ireland and “Christianize to the people who had kidnapped. ” After fulfilling his mission, he founded a monastery And he dedicated himself to preaching Catholicism, becoming bishop of the Irish nation.
San Patricio Day Symbols
It is said that, to evangelize, San Patricio used many Metaphorsand one of his favorites was to explain to the Irish “the mystery of the Blessed Trinity“With a sheet of cloversince, according to him, the plant was made up of three equal parts and represented the Fatherto the Son and al Holy Spirit in a single divine entity.
Although St. Patricio identified more with the blue color of his clothing, the use of green began to spread throughout the world thanks to the clover metaphor, a symbol of the good luck which ended up becoming the emblem of the Irish independence movement at the end of the 18th century.
The green color is also present in the flag of Ireland, where it represents the Catholicswhile the color orange Symbolizes the Protestants. Both are divided by a strip whitewhose meaning is “peace and coexistence” between both religious beliefs within the current Irish territory.
Finally, green was linked to the mystical figure of the elvesbecause, over time, the Irish who emigrated to the United States decided to uniform all the cultural elements of their country with that color, since, although they are not part of the history of St. Patrick, they are a symbol of Ireland.
Religious and Pagan Celebration
Currently, San Patricio’s day has become a celebration Religious With parties and character parades pagansince many people who participate in the holiday are not part of the great religions, but only look for food and dances to surround themselves with green symbols that represent abundance And good luck.
The Irish tradition has crossed many borders, reaching various countries of Latin Americaas well as Spain, Italy, Japan, Australia, Switzerland and, of course, to the United States, where dozens of restaurants begin to serve the veal stew With puree of potatoes, accompanied by beer, the favorite dish of the Irish elves.
#Hoeyelahistoria A day like today, but in 461, the Christian missionary San Patricio died. He preached the Gospel and built Churches throughout Ireland. In his honor, every March 17, the “San Patricio Day” is celebrated. #Sanpatricio pic.twitter.com/ttgyfw6JPJ
– History Latin America (@historyla) March 17, 2019