Every year we celebrate St. Patrick's Day with things like green beer, corned beef, and parades. When I was little my family went to the local parade every year. We had a great time but my favorite part was always watching the step dancers. Most of the things we in the US relate to St. Patrick's Day do not really have anything to do with the man it is named for though so I thought we'd explore a few of the more popular legends of the Saint.
The first is that Ireland is now free of snakes because St. Patrick banished them. The second is the legend of the shamrock. You see St. Patrick was sent to Ireland but he Catholic church to convert the last of the pagan hold outs and both of these legends suited the church's purpose. Most historians agree that Ireland probably never had snakes and since Christianity and Paganism both have snakes as symbolic figures, one good and one evil, it worked to the church's purpose for a saint to have banished snakes, and therefore evil, from the land.
The Shamrock was a little bit different. It served as a talisman of sorts. Stories say that St. Patrick used the three part Shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to those he was trying to convert. Each piece of the Shamrock was depicted as either the father, the son to the holy spirit and yet was one being, just as the Holy trinity is three parts of one being.
The Shamrock was a little bit different. It served as a talisman of sorts. Stories say that St. Patrick used the three part Shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to those he was trying to convert. Each piece of the Shamrock was depicted as either the father, the son to the holy spirit and yet was one being, just as the Holy trinity is three parts of one being.
What are your favorite parts of St. Patrick's Day?
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