by Sabrina Martin

Created on: March 17, 2009

St. Patrick's Day is primarily a Roman Catholic holiday in Ireland. It is a day held in honor of the Patron Saint, Patrick. In order to understand the origins of St. Patrick's Day we must begin with St. Patrick himself.

Contrary to what some might believe, he was not an Irish native, but is said to have been born in either Wales in 385 A.D or Britain in 387 A.D. His birth name was Maewyn, not Patrick. He did not adopt the name Patrick until later.

St. Patrick considered himself a pagan until he was sixteen years old. He had a change of heart after drawing closer to God while living in slavery. After six years, he escaped and became a student of St. Germaine. He studied with him for more than a decade and adopted the name and title of St. Patrick.

He became the second Bishop of Ireland, and was hugely successful at convincing the nobles and inhabitants of the country to make the transition to Christianity. The Celtic Druids were highly opposed to his efforts.

Many believe St. Patrick used the shamrock (or clover), with its three leaves, to help people understand how the father, son, and Holy Spirit could exist as three parts of the same entity. This is one of the reasons the Shamrock is now so greatly associated with St. Patrick's Day.

St. Patrick died on or around March 17th 461 A.D. and it is in honor of his death that the St. Patrick's Day holiday is celebrated.

Although in many places the St. Patrick's Day celebrations last for a week, March 17th is the day that the traditional St. Patrick's feast is held. The day usually falls during the fasting season of lent. The prohibitions against eating meat are removed for the holiday, and residents are able to drink and enjoy the traditional feast of Irish bacon and cabbage.

Although the holiday is an Irish Roman Catholic holiday, the huge celebrations as we know them today, did not begin in Ireland. The first major St. Patrick's Day celebration took place in Boston Massachusetts in 1737 and the first St. Patrick's Day parade was held in New York City in 1766, which is still home of the largest parade in the world.

According to Wikipedia.org, St. Patrick's Day did not become a public holiday until 1903 and it wasn't until the mid 1990's that the Irish government chose to use the holiday as a day to showcase the Irish culture through huge festivals, parades, and celebrations. In fact, until 1970 it was a law that all pubs close on March 17th, in honor of the holy day. Now, Ireland hosts massive celebrations and holds its largest festival and parade in Dublin. The St. Patrick's Day celebrations attract hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.

Even though the holiday has become a cause for huge festivities and is celebrated on a massive scale in Ireland and around the world, it still remains a religious holiday for the country. Families attend mass, enjoy meals together, and honor the Saint that transformed their country so many years ago.

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