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To understand the origin of St Patrick's Day requires a trip back to the period 385-461 AD. It is difficult to decipher the fact from the fiction, since St Patrick lived so long ago when record keeping many not have been at an optimum level. As a result, we have many strange tales surrounding St Patrick, some of which have been deemed false. This article will deal with some of the more commonly acceptable themes surrounding the origin of St Patrick's Day.

Born to wealthy parents in Britain, St Patrick was taken prisoner by Irish bandits who plundered his estate. He was taken to Ireland where he spent 6 years in captivity while working as a shepherd. During this time, he was lonely and isolated and turned to his religion for comfort. He became a devout Christian. According to his writings, after six years as a prisoner, he escaped from his captors after God told him in a dream that it was time to leave.

Patrick escaped to Britain after walking 200 miles. But in another dream, he was told by an angel to return to Ireland to do missionary work. He studied for some 15 years, at the end of which he was ordained as a priest. As an ordained priest, he returned to Ireland to minister to Christians and convert the Irish pagans. Many believe that St Patrick was responsible for bringing Christianity to Ireland. After his death, reportedly on March 17th, AD 493, he was canonized by the Catholic Church.

It is believed that St Patrick's Day was observed for some 1000 years, honoring the patron saint of Ireland, without of course, the parade and festivities that characterize the celebrations today. It would be a day for attending church followed by family feasts. A Roman scholar, Luke Waddington, in the early 17th century was credited with actually having St Patrick's Day declared a feast day in the Roman Catholic Church. The shamrock, a symbol of St Patrick's Day, has also been linked to St Patrick. It is said that the Shamrock (the name given to the clover plant) was used by St Patrick to teach would-be converts about the Holy Trinity.

When the feast falls during Lent, the local Bishop has the authority to lift the obligation to abstain from meat eating. After all what is a feast without meat? However, this dilemma has been dealt with differently throughout the years, causing some controversy. Both in 1940 and as late as 2008, St Patrick's Day was moved to a different day because of clashes with Holy Week.

It was not until 1902 that St Patrick's Day was declared a national holiday

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