St. Patricks Day History, Food & Drink, Recipes & More

Who is St. Patrick?

Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. There is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family although his father was a deacon.

At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland. According to his writing, a voice (which he believed to be God's) spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland. After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that an angel in a dream told him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Shortly thereafter he began a course in religious training which lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish people.

At that time most Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion. The Irish culture was centered in a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick incorporated traditional Irish rituals into his lessons of Christianity using bonfires to celebrate Easter - since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D.

The Holiday

As St. Patrick's Day falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against consuming meat were waived and a meal of Irish bacon and cabbage was traditional. The people would dance, drink, and feast.