When you wear green on March 17th, do you really know who you're celebrating? Saint Patrick has his own holiday, but somehow most of us don't know anything about him. Perhaps we imagine him as a leprechaun or some Irish guy dancing a jig. If you fall into this category of thinkers, take a look at these facts about the real Saint Patrick and why we celebrate him every March.
1. Saint Patrick wasn't actually Irish.
According to biography.com, Saint Patrick was born in Britain. His father was a deacon, but Patrick didn't actually grow up as an active believer. It wasn't until 16 when he was captured by Irish pirates, that he started to develop a relationship with God. His captors took him to Ireland, where he worked as a slave for six years.
2. He originally didn't even want to stay in Ireland.
Biography.com states that working as a slave for six years helped Patrick convert to Christianity, but he didn't want to stay in Ireland. He eventually was told in a dream that he'd soon go home. After this, he fled from his master, got on a ship, and sailed to Britain. He and the crew apparently wandered France for 28 days. Nevertheless, he put his faith in God, and made it. He reunited with his family and continued to study Christianity.
3. A vision made him return to Ireland.
A few years after escaping slavery in Ireland, Patrick was studying Christianity in France. Biography.com explains that he couldn't forget a vision that had come to him while he was enslaved. In it, Irish children were reaching out their hands to him. He took it as a sign that he needed to help convert the Irish people to Christianity. Therefore, after Pope St. Celestine consecrated Patrick as "Bishop of Ireland," he returned to the country.
4. He was kidnapped again.
Because Patrick wasn't technically Irish, he didn't have any legal protection. He was often beaten, robbed and chained. According to everything.explained.today.com, Patrick also mentions in his writings that he was held captive again in Ireland for around 60 days; however, he doesn't give any specific details of the event.
5. He probably didn't banish all snakes from Ireland.
Legend has it that the reason why there are no snakes in Ireland is that, they were all forced out by Saint Patrick. The story says that St. Patrick was fasting for 40 days on the top of a hill and grew angry when a group of snakes attacked him. Therefore, he used his staff to banish them from the country. However irishcentral.com reports this probably never happened because evidence shows that post-glacial Ireland never had any snakes in the first place. It is an entertaining story, though.
6. There's a significance behind the shamrock.
Ever wonder why the shamrock is associated with Saint Patrick's Day? There's a reason. Irishindeed.com says that Saint Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish people. This was significant because the country was mostly pagan when he arrived.
7. There are other myths, too.
Many more myths surround Saint Patrick as well. For example, one popular myth says that Patrick's staffs grew into trees. Redlanddailyfacts.com explains the myth, explaining that often times Patrick would plant his staff in the ground before teaching, and he wouldn't stop sharing the gospel until people were converted. He apparently taught for so long that the staffs would root and grow into trees, explaining why Ireland has so many trees.
8. Is he even technically a saint?
It is believed that Saint Patrick died on March 17, hence why we celebrate his holiday. However, Irishcentral.com reports that Saint Patrick has technically never been formally canonized by the Pope. Therefore, you could argue that he's not even technically a saint. But why ruin the fun, right?
Hopefully, this gives you a little more insight into the man who brought Christianity to Ireland and why we celebrate him. Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
