St. Patrick’s Day-a history
What do shamrocks, green beer, and a missionary have in common?
The holiday we know and love as St. Patrick’s Day typically
involves dressing in green, eating traditional Irish fare,
decorating with green bunting and shamrocks, parades, and
drinking. It was first celebrated in America in 1737, was
organized by the Charitable Irish Society of Boston, and
included a feast and religious service. This first celebration of
the holiday in the colonies was largely to honor and celebrate
the Irish culture that so many colonists had been separated
from.
Early celebrations continued this modest tradition. In New
York, the first celebration took place as a small gathering at
the home of an Irish protestant. St. Patrick’s Day parades
started in New York in 1762 by a group of Irish soldiers in
the British military who marched down Broadway. This
began the tradition of a military theme in the parade, as they
often feature marching military units. The holiday eventually
evolved from the modest religious dinner into the oft-raucous
holiday we know today.
But why was this holiday first recognized, and who is this St.
Patrick? Born in Roman Britain and originally called by his
birthname “Maewyn,” Patrick was kidnapped into slavery
and brought into Ireland. He escaped to a monastery in Gaul
(France) and converted to Christianity. In 432, he returned to
Ireland as a missionary, furthering Christianity by confronting
the Druids at Tara and abolishing their pagan rites.
Patrick became a bishop and after his death was named
Ireland’s patron saint. There are many legends associated with
St. Patrick. The symbol of the shamrock used for the holiday
comes from the story of St. Patrick using the shamrock to
illustrate the Holy Trinity. The three-leafed plant coincided
with the Pagan religion’s sanctity of the number three and is
the root of the green color theme.
Another popular belief is that St. Patrick banished the snakes
from Ireland. The story says that while St. Patrick was fasting,
snakes attacked him, so he chased all snakes into the ocean.
Another legend has St. Patrick sticking a walking stick into
the ground while evangelizing, which turned into a tree.
Celebrations in Ireland were understated though. When the
Irish emigrated to the U.S., they created the bigger celebrations
and parades known today. Eighteenth century Irish soldiers
who fought in the Revolutionary War held the first St. Patrick
Day parades. The celebrations became a way for the Irish to
connect with their roots after they moved to America. St.
Patrick’s Day Parades and Celebrations Boston - St. Patrick’s
Day celebrations in Boston bring over 600,000 visitors to the
city, which has a large Irish-American community. The city
has one of the largest parades, which many veterans take part
in, and events are held in the large number of Irish pubs in the
city. The Irish Cultural Centre holds a celebration, and many
events feature Irish food, such as corned beef.
New York - New York City is the place of the oldest civilian
parade, which boats over 150,000 participants. This may
include veterans along with firefighters, policemen, and
cultural clubs. It is led New York’s 69th infantry regiment.
Another city in New York state, Pearl river, has the second
largest parade in the state with crowds of over 100,000. In
Buffalo, there are two St. Patrick’s parades.
Chicago - The Irish community makes up a large part of
Chicago’s celebration. Chicago dyes the Chicago River green
and holds the South Side Parade, which has actually had to be
scaled back in recent years due to the celebration growing too
large for the Irish groups that hold the parade.
Ireland - This celebration is more religious in nature, as it is
considered a religious feast day. While it was made an official
holiday in 1903, the first Saint Patrick’s Festival was held in
1996. During these recent years, the event has become more
cultural and consists of many celebrations in the streets.
Winter Garden - Local favorite watering hole, Hagan O’Reilly’s
Authentic Irish Pub, will feature a four day celebration, “St.
Pat Attack,” starting on March 14 and culminating with the
big festivities on Tuesday, March 17th. Each day will feature
Irish bands and food and drink specials. On the holiday itself,
Central Florida’s largest St. Patty’s Day celebration commences
and will feature: a large 30X60 tent, Kegs and Eggs starting
at 9:30am, Irish Echoes (dancers) from 12pm-2pm, Celtic
Wave (live music) from 2pm-5pm, Scott Baker (musician)
from 2pm - 6pm, Irish Dancers from 7 - 9 pm, Johnny Snags
Norton (musician) starting at 7 pm, and Napoleon Complex
(live music) starting at 8pm.
march 2015
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Winter Garden Magazine
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