St. Patrick's Day

Americans and other countries in the world have been celebrating this holiday which they call St. Patrick's Day. Each country celebrates this holiday in different ways. When we hear about this holiday, there are things that pops in our heads and these are green clothes, leprechauns and shamrock.

But, do all of these people know the history of this holiday? Who is behind this holiday? Why do we have to wear green clothes on this holiday? And what does leprechauns have to do with this holiday?

Learning the story behind this holiday is important because it gives you a better understanding of what's going on around the world. Let me give you the answers to your questions.

St. Patrick's Day is a national holiday celebrated by different countries to commemorate St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, and to celebrate the acceptance of Christianity by the Irish.

Now, St. Patrick is not Irish. He was born in Britain and was kidnapped by Irish people at the age of 16. He was transported to Ireland where he became a prisoner and a slave. After 6 years, he was able to escape and return to his country. When he was in Britain, he reported that an angel appeared in his dream telling him to return to Ireland as a missionary. After years of religious training, he went back to Ireland to minister the Christians already living in Ireland and to begin converting the Irish. He chose to incorporate the traditional ritual of the Irish into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate their native beliefs. He was not made a Saint by the Catholic Church but was proclaimed as a Saint by the people.

And what does a leprechaun have to do with this?

It all started on the legend where St. Patrick used a three-leaf shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to Irish pagans and this Shamrock plant sometimes has a four-leaf clover. This four-leaf clover is the leprechaun's favorite food. Leprechauns are mythical creatures from Irish folklore. They are short, red-haired fairies dressed in green suits.

But, why do we have to wear green clothes?

Irish tradition believes that leprechauns like to pinch anyone they see and if a person wears green clothes, then that person becomes invisible to leprechauns. However, green has been associated with Ireland when the Shamrock plant (which is green) became a national symbol and became popular. Ireland's landscape also became another reason why this color green has become associated with the country.

So, these are the most important information that you have to know about the holiday. I hope this article is useful to your knowledge.

If you can also suggest a topic that I can talk about here, you may comment it below and I would appreciate it.

Next article is about an Irish dish that I usually cook for the family!