Here we go again, activity fans: time for clovers and flags and silly green hats, as well as a certain dark beer.
But how much do you really know about this age old and worldwide celebration?
If the answer is “not much” then today is your very lucky day, because The Activity People have made a list of their ten favourite St Patrick’s Day factoids, and placed them handily one after the other, right here.
Enjoy them almost as much as the day itself.
St Patrick, Monster Slayer
Ok, this article is all about facts, but that’s fine because I’m sure that the following is true.
Apparently, St Patrick had his hands full from time to time with an Irish beastie or two. It’s said that he rid Ireland of snakes by ringing a great bell from the top of the Croagh Patrick, a 2500 ft tall mountain. His slithering assailants then drowned in the sea.
But he didn’t rest on his laurels, oh no, because he also rid the place of a fierce lake monster too. The kick-ass saint did slay the creature right there on its own turf, turning all the water red with its blood. To this day the lake is known as Lough Derg, or Red Lake. Surely, that’s all the proof we need to assume that this is definitely true.
In all seriousness, the purpose of folklore is not that it be taken literally as a documentation of fact. Many believe the legend of St Patrick and the snakes was a figurative depiction of his championing Christianity in Ireland, and the decline of druid and pagan religions in the country. So the snakes represent those religions.
But the fierce lake monster was definitely a fierce lake monster. That had to have happened. Why? Because we say so!
Anger Management
By all accounts, St Patrick had a bit of a temper, and wasn’t averse to dishing out the odd curse. Some of his curses even seem to have worked, with only the slightest helping hand from Mother Nature and the good old British weather.
This combination was effective when SP cursed a field to sink beneath the sea after his oxen were refused permission to graze there.
Far from abusing his power, however, the saint had a strong sense of justice; once curing a blind man, while making somebody who’d laughed at the unfortunate soul go blind himself.
Girl Power
St Patrick was something of an ideas man, and it was a thought-bubble from that very saintly bonce which initiated the practice of allowing women to defy convention and propose marriage to men on a leap year.
Until then, society decreed that ladies had to wait for a proposal from an interested suitor; a proposal which may never have been forthcoming. St Paddy’s leap year concept gave women the power to control their own destiny.
Of course, it only gave them that power for one day every four years or so, and what’s more he couldn’t stop the proposed to guys from saying ‘no’. But at least it was a start.
You’re Welcome, Shamrock
As if killing monsters, curing the sick and giving hope to single ladies wasn’t enough, St Patrick put the shamrock on the map!
He used a three leaf specimen to illustrate the holy trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost to King Laughire of Tara. Nobody knows if the king understood, or whether he was just being polite. But we do know that from then on the shamrock went from strength to strength and has become a universal symbol, synonymous with all things Ireland, all around the globe. The four leaf variety are, perhaps, most recognisable and are believed to signify rebirth and life. The four leaves are said to represent faith, love, hope and the world famous luck of the Irish.
Once St Patrick’s Day rolls around, you’re likely to see more than a couple of them hanging around the place.
Sorry, Blue
Just like the Shamrock itself St Patrick’s Day is a completely green affair. By that we mean that green is the colour draped across pubs, parades, shops and revellers themselves. It is a colour inextricably linked to Ireland and once the time comes to celebrate St Patrick, it’s the colour that steals the show.
So it may come as a surprise to discover that St Patrick’s favourite colour was blue. What’s more, the whole of Ireland was less than enamoured with green for much of its history. Green was believed to be the colour of immortals, fairies and leprechauns, not a great crowd to be falling in with; and by wearing green you were seen to be doing just that.
Once upon a time, the flag of the nation was blue itself, and adorned with a golden harp, and military men wore ‘St Patrick’s Blue’ in their uniforms.
Not until the 19th Century did green become the official colour of Ireland. Now, the colour and its Irish connotations are recognised world over. In Chicago, they dye the entire Chigaco River green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. Of course, dyeing a river blue would hardly have had the same effect.
Everybody’s Favourite (Scottish) Irishman
Like many an Ireland international footballer, St Patrick wasn’t even Irish. The man that would become a saint was actually from Scotland, and went by the name Maewyn Succat (which, admittedly, doesn’t have the same ring to it).
Young Maewyn didn’t set foot in Ireland until the age of 16 when he was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Not a great first impression, but things would eventually get better. Many years later the man became a Priest under the Bishop of Auxerre and took the name Patricius (as in Patrick, do try to keep up).
The rest, as they say, is history. A history we celebrate every year on the 17th day of March.
Taking This Show On The Road
It isn’t known exactly when St Patrick’s Day was first celebrated outside of Ireland, but the first written account of the event occurring in England comes from Mr Gulliver’s Travels himself, Jonathan Swift.
He mentions celebrations taking place in London, circa 1713. According to him Westminster Parliament took a day off and all public buildings were adorned with green (not blue) decorations.
Similar celebrations have been taking place in the Caribbean since the 17th Century. The island of Montserrat is where the party started, thanks in part to Oliver Cromwell, although only because many Irish fled to Montserrat to get away from him.
Tonight We’re Going To Party Like It’s 1737
The guys across the Atlantic have enjoyed a good St Patrick’s shindig for a long time now; and they generally don’t do things by halves.
The first St Patrick’s Day Parade to be held in America took place in Boston on the 17th March 1737. New York followed suit in 1762, and Chicago just one year after that. The customary dumping of vegetable dye into the river in order to turn it green didn’t start until 1962, but is now one of the many traditions observed in honour of St Paddy and his adopted homeland.
Now celebrated all over the States, it is the longest running civilian parade in the world. 274 years young and still going strong!
Fashionably Late
Dublin, itself, has only held a St Patrick’s Day Parade for less than a century, and even then the event was far from being all about partying hard and drinking Guinness (other alcoholic beverages are available).
It wasn’t until 1995 that Dublin’s pubs even opened on the national holiday, because that’s precisely what it was: a ‘holy day’. Many still honour the event with religious observance, while for others drinking and revelry are as much a part of St Patrick’s Day as the colour green and the man himself.
Slice of Luck
We’d all like a little loving from Lady Luck. On St Patrick’s Day, it is believed that finding a four leaf clover, wearing green or kissing the Blarney Stone will bring good fortune.
Incidentally, there are no documented reports of people finding fortune at the bottom of a Guinness glass, but we’re sure that won’t stop most of us looking anyway.
Wherever it takes you, and whatever it holds, The Activity People would like to wish you all a memorable and fun-filled day of celebration.
Remember to drink responsibly and watch out for fierce lake monsters.