Dear Just Be: Why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the United States?

In the states we celebrate the holiday for much different reasons than they do in Ireland. Let me explain.

The story of St. Patrick begins in AD 387. St. Patrick was born into a wealthy family in Roman Britain. His father and grandfather were deacons in the Church, and at the time St. Patrick is said to have not lived up to his father and grandfathers teachings. When he was 16 years old he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken captive to Ireland as a slave. During his time in Ireland St Patrick became extremely religious and confessed that he was told by God to flee from captivity to the coast, where he would board a ship and return to Britain. He did just that, and ultimately became a priest when he returned to England.

He again says that he was called by God to return to Ireland, though as a bishop, to save the Irish. Through his journey he introduced and explained the concept of the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) to the Irish people by using the Shamrock with its three leaves as symbols. He also included the pagan beliefs of the day into his Christian teachings. Because he was not Irish, he faced extreme opposition from his co-religionists. After nearly thirty years of teaching and spreading God's word he died on March 17, 461 AD, and was buried at Downpatrick.

Many historians say St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated in Ireland before the 1600s. St Patrick's feast day was placed on the universal Christian calendar in the Catholic Church due to the influence of Franciscan scholar Luke Wadding. As a result, St Patrick's Day became a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics in Ireland. The church calendar avoids the observance of saints' feasts during certain solemnities (Holy Week), moving the saint's day to a time outside those periods. St Patrick's Day is very occasionally affected by this requirement – when March 17 falls during Holy Week. Unique fact: St Patrick's Day will not fall within Holy Week again until 2160.

In 1903, St Patrick's Day became an official public holiday in Ireland. Today, in Ireland, the celebrations still have a religious tone to them. However, many Christian leaders condemn the fact that it is being increasingly secularized and commercialized – such as what you will find in the states, Great Britain, Canada, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. In the states and other countries St. Patrick’s Day is not viewed as an official holiday, but many participate in the day’s activities to celebrate and recognize the Irish culture, not the religious significance of the day and person.