7 Surprising Facts About St. Patrick's Day
Who was the real St. Patrick? Was that legend about the snakes true? And why did so many St. Patrick's Day traditions start in America?
https://www.history.com/news/st-patricks-day-facts
While St. Patrick’s Day is now
associated with wearing green, parades (when they're not canceled) and beer,
the holiday is grounded in history that dates back more than 1,500 years. The
earliest known celebrations were held in the 17th century on March 17, marking
the anniversary of the death of St. Patrick in the 5th century. Learn more
about the holiday’s history and how it evolved into the event it is today.
1.
The Real St. Patrick Was Born in Britain
Much of what is known about St.
Patrick's life has been interwoven with folklore and legend. Historians
generally believe that St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in
Britain (not Ireland) near the end of the 4th century. At age 16 he was
kidnapped by Irish raiders and sold as a slave to a Celtic priest in Northern
Ireland. After toiling for six years as a shepherd, he escaped back to Britain.
He eventually returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary.
2.
There Were No Snakes Around for St. Patrick to Banish from Ireland
Among the legends associated with
St. Patrick is that he stood atop an Irish hillside and banished snakes from
Ireland—prompting all serpents to slither away into the sea. In fact, research
suggests snakes never occupied the Emerald Isle in the first place. There are
no signs of snakes in the country’s fossil record. And water has surrounded
Ireland since the last glacial period. Before that, the region was covered in
ice and would have been too cold for the reptiles.
3.
Leprechauns Are Likely Based on Celtic Fairies
The red-haired, green-clothed
Leprechaun is commonly associated with St. Patrick’s Day. The original Irish
name for these figures of folklore is “lobaircin,” meaning “small-bodied
fellow.” Belief in leprechauns likely stems from Celtic belief in fairies— tiny
men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. In
Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the
shoes of the other fairies.
4.
The Shamrock Was Considered a Sacred Plant
The shamrock, a three-leaf clover, has
been associated with Ireland for centuries. It was called the “seamroy” by the
Celts and was considered a sacred plant that symbolized the arrival of spring.
According to legend, St. Patrick used the plant as a visual guide when
explaining the Holy Trinity. By the 17th century, the shamrock had become a
symbol of emerging Irish nationalism.
5.
The First St. Patrick’s Day Parade Was Held in America
While people in Ireland had
celebrated St. Patrick since the 1600s, the tradition of a St. Patrick’s Day parade
began in America and actually predates the founding of the United States.
Records show that a St. Patrick’s
Day parade was held on March 17, 1601 in a Spanish colony in what is now St.
Augustine, Florida. The parade, and a St. Patrick’s Day celebration a year
earlier were organized by the Spanish Colony's Irish vicar Ricardo Artur. More
than a century later, homesick Irish soldiers serving in the English military
marched in Boston in 1737 and in New York City on March 17. Enthusiasm for the
St. Patrick’s Day parades in New York City, Boston and other early American
cities only grew from there. In 2020 and 2021, parades throughout the country,
including in New York City and Boston were canceled or postponed for the first
time in decades due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus.
6.
The Irish Were Once Scorned in America
While Irish Americans are now proud
to showcase their heritage, the Irish were not always celebrated by fellow
Americans. Beginning in 1845, a devastating potato blight caused widespread
hunger throughout Ireland. While approximately 1 million perished, another 2
million abandoned their land in the largest-single population movement of the
19th century. Most of the exiles—nearly a quarter of the Irish nation—came to
the shores of the United States. Once they arrived, the Irish refugees were
looked down upon as disease-ridden, unskilled and a drain on welfare budgets.
7.
Corned Beef and Cabbage Was an American Innovation
The meal that became a St. Patrick’s
Day staple across the country—corned beef and cabbage—was an American
innovation. While ham and cabbage were eaten in Ireland, corned beef offered a
cheaper substitute for impoverished immigrants. Irish-Americans living in the
slums of lower Manhattan in the late 19th century and early 20th,
purchased leftover corned beef from ships returning from the tea trade in
China. The Irish would boil the beef three times—the last time with cabbage—to
remove some of the brine.
