Saint Patrick's
Day is a holiday in honor of the patron saint of Ireland, celebrated
on March, 17. The first year that St. Patrick's Day was publicly
celebrated in the United States was in 1737, in Boston.
Here in Brazil, Saint Patrick holiday is not celebrated. |
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The
green color is Ireland's national color. One of St. Patrick Day's
tradition is wearing something green on this day. |
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Another St. Patrick
day tradition is the shamrock, the main symbol of the holiday.
The shamrock, from the Irish Seamrog, "little clover",
is the common name for any of several trifoliate clovers native
to Ireland. Shamrocks or various representations of the plant
are worn by celebrants on Saint Patrick's Day. |
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 The shamrock
was originally chosen as the national emblem of Ireland because
of the legend that Saint Patrick used the three-leafed plant
to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent
how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist
as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted
the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.
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Most
shamrocks, particularly the small-leaved white clover, have been
considered by the Irish as good-luck symbols since earliest times,
and this superstition has persisted among people of many nationalities. |
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St. Patrick -
Patrick
(389?-461?) considered himself a pagan until 16 years of age.
At that age, he was carried off by a group of Irish marauders
that raided his village. During his captivity as a herdsman,
he became closer to God.
He
escaped from slavery after six years and went to the northern
coast of Gaul, where he studied in the monastery under St. Germain,
bishop of Auxerre for a period of twelve years. During his training
he became aware that his calling was to convert the pagans to
Christianity.
Sometime
after 431, Patrick was appointed successor to St. Palladius,
first bishop of Ireland, who was transferred to Scotland. Patrick,
having adopted that Christian name earlier, was then appointed
as second bishop to Ireland.
Information
obtained at Encarta. |
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