Creative Child March 2019 | Page 32

IN SEASON According to Patrick’s writing, he was told in a dream by a voice he believed to be God’s telling him it was time to leave Ireland. He escaped, reportedly walking 200 miles to the Irish coast. Once back in Britain, he reported having a second dream in which an angel told him to go back to Ireland as a missionary. Patrick studied religion for more than 15 years and, upon becoming an ordained priest, returned to Ireland to both minister to Christians there and to spread Christianity in a largely pagan culture. Contradictory to popular notion, he was not the first person to bring Christianity to Ireland. He was, however, very successful at growing Christianity in Ireland. According to the National Geographic, until the 1970s, St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland was a minor religious holiday. It was a day of feasting, and families simply celebrated with a big meal. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade in America occurred during the Revolutionary War. Irish soldiers fighting for the British marched in New York City in 1762 and is now tradition. Leprechauns are part of Irish folklore that have made their way into the celebration somehow, though they were reported to wear red, and not green. They are said to be mischievous shoe makers who, if caught, might grant you three wishes for their freedom. They have nothing to do with St. Patrick himself, or course. 31