St. Patrick's Day Trivia

Fun Facts About March 17

Mar 10, 2009 Tina Costanza

St. Patrick led a life worthy of a Hollywood biopic. Here are finer points about him and his day, March 17, that revelers can use in cards, websites and party games.

Although St. Patrick really did exist, legend surrounds some aspects of his life, as well.

• St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish. Odds are he was British. St. Patrick was born in Wales, possibly in the southern town of Banwen, in 385 AD, but another report indicates he was born in Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, Scotland, in 387 AD.

• St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, but he’s not the only one. Brigid of Kildare and Columba are also patron saints of the Emerald Isle.

• St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17 because it is believed that is the day he died. History has it that Patrick died on March 17 in 461 AD, at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, where his also reputedly buried. Another story has Patrick as dying and buried in Glastonbury, England.

• At the age of 16, Patrick considered himself a pagan. He converted to Christianity while enslaved by a sheep farmer. At 16, Irish brigands captured him and sold him into slavery in either Country Antrim or County Mayo in Ireland. When he was 22, he escaped, returned home, and then spent the next dozen years in a monastery in France. It is believed he turned to God while he was in captivity.

• It’s a legend that St. Patrick used the shamrock to teach pagans about Christianity. Patrick eventually returned to Ireland — after having dreamed the Irish were calling him back — and is said to have used the shamrock to explain the holy trinity to the pagans.

• It is also legend that Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland. While there is likely nary a snake to be found on the island, it’s probably because Ireland separated from the rest of Europe at the end of the Ice Age. So it’s likely snakes never slithered on the country. However, snake symbols were common and worshipped in pagan religions, so the driving of snakes from Ireland is symbolic of ending that pagan practice.

• Patrick incorporated traditional rituals into his lessons on Christianity. Patrick, in one instance, is said to have superimposed a sun, a significant symbol to the Irish, onto the Christian cross. Thus the Celtic cross was born, and veneration of the symbol would seem more palatable to the Irish.

• The St. Patrick’s Day parade first took place in New York City on March 17, 1762. This first parade was comprised of Irish soldiers serving in the English army to help them connect with their Irish roots and fellow countrymen. Nowadays, St. Patrick’s Day parades take place in major cities like New York, Montreal and Dublin.

• The intended meaning of St. Patrick’s Day is that it’s a day for spiritual renewal and for praying for missionaries around the world.

Britain-born St. Patrick came to fame after he escaped from slavery in Ireland, only to return to convert the country’s pagans after having had a vision in a dream. Today, March 17, his feast day, tends to celebrate all things Irish.

For more on St. Patrick and his big day, visit www.history.com and www.wikipedia.com.

The copyright of the article St. Patrick's Day Trivia in Entertaining is owned by Tina Costanza. Permission to republish St. Patrick's Day Trivia in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

A Celtic cross.