by James Lynne

Created on: March 08, 2009   Last Updated: March 09, 2009

St. Patrick's Day, originating as a 17th Century holy day commemorating the death of Ireland's patron saint on March 17th, has become a 21st Century celebration of all things Irish. Modern St. Patrick's Day celebrations reflect anything but a religious holiday commemorating the death of the man who brought Christianity to the pagan Isle. Irish themed commercial products; leprechauns, rainbows, shamrocks, drink and dance provide the backdrop for present-day St. Paddy's day celebrations on the world stage.

St. Patrick's Day, like many present day celebrations, began as a holy day. Historically, the Roman Catholic Church in its efforts to convert pagan cultures without alienating them incorporated non-religious festivals into church observances. Present day Saint Patrick's Day festivities, however, work that process in reverse. St. Patrick's Day was hijacked by secular commercialization and wrested away from the church. St. Paddy's Day, by its less reverent name, began as a Holy Day of Obligation for Roman Catholics in Ireland in the 17th Century, but is now more widely celebrated as a day of Irish fun and frolic.

Until 1903, St. Patrick's Day in Ireland was a religious holy day. In 1903, by act of Parliament, the day became a national holiday known as the Bank Holiday. By law, pubs were closed on March 17, allowing for serious and "proper" observance of St. Patrick's Day. This act was repealed in the 1970s, beginning the shift from religious observance to what we now know as a worldwide secular celebration of "all things Irish" on St. Patrick's Day.

The Church of Ireland, as well as the Roman Catholic Church, in Ireland still observe St. Patrick's Day as a religious holiday. However, the world tends to treat it more as a Mardi Gras revival in the middle of Lent, enjoying an additional day of fun and frolic with an Irish flair. Dispensations from Lenten commitments worldwide flow as freely as Irish ale on St. Paddy's Day. Irish culture, Irish identity, and Irish folklore hijacked the once religious celebration, making it a day of partying with a green Irish theme.

Like Mardi Gras' evolution into a lengthy worldwide party prior to Ash Wednesday, St. Patrick's Day also has evolved from a day of religious observance to a worldwide party. Lasting days and weeks in some places, St. Patrick's Day gives the world an Irish stage for continued celebration. In the mid-1900s, the Irish government capitalized on the holiday to commercialize Ireland on the world market, beginning

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