Saint Patricks Day

Leon Karczewski, Iga Siódmiak, Maja Pisarek, Maja Dębniak, Helena Floyd, Aliona Vasylets (odpowiedzialna za zagranie utworu znajdującego się poniżej), Amelia Kosińska

Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland.

What is Saint Patrick's day?

Saint Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Much of what is known about Saint Patrick comes from the Declaration, which was allegedly written by Patrick himself. It is believed that he was born in Roman Britain in the fourth century, into a wealthy Romano-British family. His father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest in the Christian church. According to the Declaration, at the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Gaelic Ireland. It says that he spent six years there working as a shepherd and that during this time he "found God". The Declaration says that God told Patrick to flee to the coast, where a ship would be waiting to take him home, After making his way home, Patrick went on to become a priest. According to tradition, Patrick retumed to Ireland to convert the pagan Irish to Christianity. The Declaration says that he spent many years evangelising in the northern half of Ireland and converted "thousands". Patrick's efforts against the druids were eventually turned into an allegory in which he drove "snakes" out of Ireland, despite the fact that snakes were not known to inhabit the region. Tradition holds that he died on 17 March and was buried at Downpatrick. Over the following centuries, many legends grew up around Patrick and he became Ireland's foremost saint.

Who was Saint Patrick?

Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, céilís, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Christians who belong to liturgical denominations also attend church services and historically the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol were lifted for the day, which has encouraged and propagated the holiday's tradition of alcohol consumption.

History of Saint Patrick's Day

Today's Saint Patrick's Day celebrations have been greatly influenced by those that developed among the Irish diaspora, especially in North America. Until the late 20th century, Saint Patrick's Day was often a bigger celebration among the diaspora than it was in Ireland. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, Irish traditional music sessions, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. The Sydney Opera House and the Sky Tower in Auckland were the first landmarks to participate and since then over 300 landmarks in fifty countries across the globe have gone green for Saint Patrick's day.

Celebration and traditions

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. You can spot the celebrations in more than 50 countries, but mostly in the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Brazil, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. In America, New York City, Boston and other early American Cities celebrate the 17th March by organizing parades. A very fascinating way of commemorating Saint Patrick takes place in Chicago where The Chicago River is dyed green. People in the US also wear green on St. Patrick’s Day. In locations far from England like Japan, Singapore and Russia, people celebrate by eating popular St. Patrick’s Day foods like Irish soda bread, corned beef, cabbage and champ.

Celebration around the world

The shamrock is the most popular one since it’s the first thing to think about. It was chosen Ireland’s national emblem because of the legend that St. Patrick had used to illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity: The Father, The Son and the holy spirit, all in one. He would pick up a shamrock from the grass and show it to the listeners explaining its representation of the entity of God with three people.

Saint Patrick's Day Symbols - St. Patrick’s Day is labeled with 6 symbols, but we chose most imoportant of all

Then we have the leprechauns – little 2 feet tall fairies that look like old men. They’re dressed like shoemakers, with a crooked hat and a leather apron, and their clothes are usually green. The Irish fairies are known from legends as aloof and unfriendly. They carry a hidden pot of gold that they protect at all costs.

Saint Patrick's Day Symbols

The Color green is what symbolizes this holiday today and Ireland in general. It was probably spired by the beautiful Irish landscape. Green is a lucky color, especially when worn on March 17th. Many long years ago children would pinch people who forgot to dress in green on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s how the green tradition started.

Saint Patrick's day symbols

Thank you for your attention!