Little known history of St. Patrick’s Day explains fanaticism
March 13, 2008
By: Hera Ashraf <hashraf@hilite.org>
Shamrocks, leprechauns and the color green are everywhere. People get excited and show off the Irish in them, even if they lack the heritage.
The holiday, which is Monday, is celebrated in honor of St. Patrick’s death. St. Patrick was the patron saint of Ireland and was widely known in Christianity. Most of his life is a mystery clouded with mythical tales.
During St. Patrick’s Day, shamrocks and leprechauns are used as decorations. The shamrock represents the rebirth of spring in Ireland and became the Irish nationalism symbol by the 17th century.
When the English seized Ireland, the Irish people wore shamrocks to represent their pride and their unhappiness with the English rule. It is also said that St. Patrick used the shamrock to represent the Trinity. Eventually, the shamrock became a symbol of St. Patrick’s Day.
How the leprechaun got into the St. Patrick’s Day traditions is a different story. The leprechaun was known as a creature of trickery in the Celtic folklore and was a minor character.
In 1959, Walt Disney created a movie called “Darby O’Gill and the Little People,” which first brought the leprechaun into American culture. This leprechaun, however, was much different than the one that is in Irish folklore.
The leprechaun Disney introduced was a happy, cheerful character that brought luck, which was the total opposite of the Irish leprechaun. The cheery, happy and lucky leprechaun is a total American invention and became so popular that it turned into a symbol of St. Patrick’s Day and Ireland in general.
Around the world, St. Patrick’s Day is a commercialized holiday, but in Ireland, it is considered a religious holiday. Now the Irish government uses it as a tourist attraction, and millions of people flock to Ireland to celebrate St. Patrick’s Festival in Dublin.
In America, cities such as New York City, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Savannah each hold a parade on St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick’s Day is a day which is celebrated with joy and a holiday that showcases Irish pride.
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