St. Patrick's day superstitions are as colorful as the Emerald Isle itself, and as fanciful as the mythical Leprechaun with his legendary pot of gold. On St. Patrick's Day, superstition, legend, myth and truth become all wrapped up in each other. St. Patrick's Day, a worldwide day of remembrance for Ireland's patron saint, is well known as a day of superstitious revelry.
Most Irish superstitions have something to do with receiving luck or wealth if you perform a particular action, such as wearing green, wearing a shamrock, catching a Leprechaun, rubbing a potato, throwing spilled salt over your left shoulder, or finding a four-leafed clover. Because St. Patrick is Ireland's patron saint, and is the focus of Irish tradition, many of Ireland's superstitions seem to surface in relation to St. Patrick's Day celebrations worldwide. It's virtually impossible, though to separate Irish superstitions from St. Patrick's Day because St. Patrick's Day has become the symbol of all things Irish.
Catholicism has historically intertwined its beliefs with pagan beliefs and cultures as part of its missionary efforts. Patrick, a Catholic missionary to Ireland, is credited with converting the pagan Celts and Druids of ancient Ireland to Christianity. Many St. Patrick's Day superstitions can be traced back to Celtic or Druid tradition that preceded Ireland's conversion. As a result we celebrate St. Patrick, the Christian, simultaneously with pagan, folkloric superstition on March 17, the day of his death. Whatever their origin most people today take St. Patrick's Day or Irish superstitions as good-hearted fun rather than as credible beliefs. A little Irish revelry is good for the Christian soul on St. Patrick's Day.
It is important, though, to distinguish between superstition, legend, and tradition in any discussion of Irish olklore. Although similar in some ways, superstition, legend, and tradition are not the same. For instance, it is a superstition that if you wear green on St. Patrick's Day you'll have good luck, and if you don't your luck will sour. The belief that something good or bad will occur because of a particular behavior is what makes a superstition different from a tradition or a legend. Wearing green on St. Patrick's day is a tradition because we do it over and over again each year. Believing that if you don't, something bad will happen makes it into a superstition. The story of St. Patrick's driving the poisonous snakes out of Ireland is a legend. It makes a nice story, but it is not factual. Eating cabbage and corned beef on St. Patrick's day is a tradition, because it something we do repeatedly over time.
A tradition, such as wearing green on St. Patrick's Day, in honor of St. Patrick, or to honor the Irish is intended to pass on knowledge from one generation or one culture to another. It is done to heighten awarenes of Ireland, its people, it's history, and its rich culture. There is an Irish superstition, though, that if you don't wear green on St. Patrick's Day something bad will befall you. Usually, that takes place when you are pinched by someone for not wearing green. The legend of wearing green on St. Patrick's Day allows others to pinch anyone not wearing green.
There is much Irish tradition surrounding the Shamrock, the State flower and symbol of Ireland. Historical legend tells that St. Patrick used the tri-leaf design of the Shamrock to demonstrate the concept of the Trinity when evangelizing the pagan Celts. However, the rich religious and national symbolism of the Shamrock is not the same as the superstition associated with the luck of the four-leafed clover. Biologically similar, the clover and the Shamrock are not the same. Neither is the symbolism associated with them. It is superstition associated with Irish folklore that finding a four-leafed clover will bring good luck. The Shamrock is a historcial symbol associated with the history of St. Patrick and his contribution to Irish history. it is not superstition.
The most common superstition surrounding St. Patrick's Day involves the wearing of the green. It is customary to wear green on this day because doing so is said to bring the wearer luck. Not wearing green will surely deliver misfortune, if in no other form than the traditional "pinch" from others. This superstition most definitely has a cause and effect base whether supernatural or not. Those who believe in superstitions do so in spite of logical evidence to the contrary. Superstition is an irrational belief that there are powers at work beyond the realm of logic, reason, and in most cases religion. This makes St. Patrick's Day superstitions quite paradoxical.
Many St. Patrick's Day superstitions involve the capricious and loveable Leprechaun. The Leprechaun is somewhat mischievous and dishonest. He loves to play tricks on those who intervene into his life of seclusion. It is said that if a mortal being catches a Leprechaun he can be made to hand over his pot of gold by threatening to harm the Leprechaun. However, the superstition also claims that the captor must at all times keep the Leprechaun within eyesight or he'll lose the gold as the Leprechaun disappears. Superstition claims that Leprechaun music can place those unfortunate enough to hear it under his spell. When walking through the forest, it is best not to be too inquisitive of enchanting music heard in the distance or misfortune surely awaits.
Another St. Patrick's Day superstition surrounds the "Blarney Stone." This is a stone set into the walls of the Blarney Castle tower. The belief is that if a person kisses the stone "just right" he will receive the power of eloquent speech. The origin of the Blarney Stone superstition can be traced to a Celtic legend in which an old woman, obviously with magical powers, was saved from drowning by a King, who although kind-hearted, had limited powers of persuasion. His kissing the stone while under the magical spell endowed him with convincing and eloquent speech. It is difficult to kiss the Blarney Stone today because of its location in the castle wall. Doing so requires an almost supernatural, gymnastic ability.
The potato provides a wealth of Irish superstition, all of which come alive on St. Patrick's Day. Superstition claims that if a person places slices of a baked potato in a stocking and ties it around his neck, it will provide a cure for numerous ailments. Carrying a potato in one's pocket was believed to cure toothache. Having potatoes on hand might not stave off the toothache or cure a sore throat, but it might certainly come in handy if one were to become hungry and lost in the woods. The common Irish potato possessed a wealth of magical power in numerous Irish superstitions.
Many St. Patrick's Day superstions mix the actions and supernatural symbols of Christianity with the older Celtic and Druid traditional supernational beliefs. Irish superstition claims that when yawning a person must immediately make the sign of the cross over his mouth to ward off evil. It is said that not doing so allows an evil spirit to enter through the open mouth at the moment of the yawn, ultimately possessing the yawner. Here we see an interesting mix of religous belief and superstition in one.
Most of us have heard the superstition that breaking a mirror will bring seven years of bad luck. It is important to be cautious when handling mirrors. Doing so makes getting cut by the glass chards an almost probable outcome and seven years of focusing on any bad thing that happens is a long run for bad luck. Similarly, it is bad luck for two people to wash their hands at the same time in the same water basin. Although, not necessarily related to luck, doing so could be considered unsanitary by modern standards resulting in the sharing of germs.
In many instances, it is difficult to separate superstition from religious belief in the Irish celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Perhaps this is because the definition of superstition and religion are so similar. On St. Patrick's Day in Ireland, it is customary to place crosses made of straw and flowers on the doorposts of the homes. Simultaneously, in villages and rural communities a black cock is sacrificed in honor of St. Patrick. This blood sacrifice has an amazing similarity to the Passover in the Old Testament where families who did not paint their doorposts with the sacrificial blood of a lamb lost their firstborn to the spirit of the Lord during the night.
The concept of a blood sacrifice is deeply rooted in religious tradition such as the crucifixion of Christ, the celebration of the Passover, and the celebration of the Eucharist. The concept of blood sacrifice is also tied to Celtic and Druid worship as well. It is difficult sometimes to discern the difference between superstition and religion. However, on St. Patrick's Day a delightful mix of superstition, religious tradition, and Irish folklore make the holiday one in which there is surely something for all to celebrate.