St. Patrick's Day "Did you know?" Facts
St. Patrick’s day has long been one of the biggest events in the Irish hospitality sector. After a long two-year absence due to the COVID19 pandemic, the return of Ireland’s favourite holiday has been met with great anticipation and enthusiasm. In Ireland alone, over two million people attended the many different St. Patrick’s Day parades held across the country in 2019. Fast forward 3 years later and attendance figures are expected to skyrocket. This is much welcomed news to the overall Irish economy, having lost out on millions due to the cancellation of the festival in 2020 and 2021.
It’s no secret that the consumption of alcohol and food has been long associated with the festival, resulting in punters literally spilling out of pubs & restaurants due to excess demand on the day. Most of us take the tradition of drinking alcohol during St. Patrick’s Day for granted, but where did this custom originate from? Have you ever wondered why don’t we celebrate other Irish saints in a similar exuberant manner? This week we’re endeavouring to answer these questions. Here are our top facts about the history of St.Patrick’s day.
Who was St. Patrick?
The accounts of St. Patrick’s life are mainly sourced from his own writings, referred to as Patrick’s “Confessio”. Simply referring to himself as “Patricius” within his writings, Patrick’s birth name is believed to be Maewyn Succat. Irish legend claims that this name was changed to Patrick following the devotion of his life to spreading Christianity. Born in Britain to a rich family during the reign of the Roman empire, St. Patrick is thought to have lived and died during the fifth century. Not much is known of his early life, but Patrick’s father is thought to have been a Christian deacon, whose wealth was acquired through work as a local official.
At the young age of 16, Patrick was kidnapped by Irish pirates from his father’s English premises. He was brought across the Irish sea to work as a slave and sold to a wealthy businessman who put him to work on his farm in County Mayo. Over the next 6 years, Patrick worked as a Shepard on the farm. Long work hours and living outside in harsh weather conditions influenced Patrick to turn to religion as a source of guidance. He further developed his belief in God and eventually converted to Christianity. After escaping from Ireland, Patrick experienced a spiritual epiphany that told him to return to Ireland and spread the word of God as a missionary.
Why do we celebrate St.Patrick’s day on March 17th?
St.Patrick is widely believed to have died on March 17th, though the accuracy of this date is still debated amongst many historians. Despite St.Patrick having passed away in the fifth century, the celebration of his life that we now know as “St. Patrick’s day” did not become an event until many centuries later. In fact, it wasn’t until somewhere around the late ninth century that St.Patrick’s day was even seen as a day of observation and feast. The festival that would become synonymous with this day of observation would not be commonplace until many years later, which we will further discuss later on in this article.
Though we closely associate Patrick with the title of “Saint” he was never actually formally canonized by the church. The sainthood appears to have been awarded to Patrick by popular association. Whatever the case may be, the enduring legacy St. Patrick has left on the Catholic Church is unquestionable. There are many who credit Patrick as one of the main pioneers of Christianity in Ireland, whether through his work as a missionary actively converting non-believers, or though the legacy left behind by him in his personal writings.
Why do we drink to celebrate him?
The culture of drinking alcohol during St.Patrick’s day has become a practise that is undeniably synonymous with the event. Many of us will have wondered why a religious holiday has adopted such a heavy association with alcohol consumption. This can be linked to the fact that March 17th happens to occur during the Christian period known as “Lent”. As most of us will know, Lent is a time in the Christian calendar where followers are supposed to abstain from specific food and drink. It’s not a particular surprise that alcohol was one of the main drinks that Christians were meant to completely avoid during this time.
Due to St.Patrick’s day falling during this period of abstinence, it presented followers of Christianity with a legitimate and much welcomed reason to break their fast, and celebrate St. Patrick through parties where an excess of alcohol would be consumed. As time has gone on, this close association with lent has fallen by the wayside. In modern times, drinking alcohol on March 17th has become a way of celebrating Irish culture, rather than the religious meanings for which it was originally intended. The commercialism of St.Patrick’s day has undoubtedly aided many bars and restaurants that otherwise would fall victim to the “beginning of the year slump” that is generally caused by overindulgence during the Christmas period.
Where and when was the first St.Patrick’s day parade?
A rather surprising fact about the festival associated with St. Patrick’s day is that it did not actually begin in Ireland. The first festival took place in 1601 in a Spanish Colony located in what is now the state of Florida in the United States. So, the next time somebody tells you it’s ridiculous for Americans to celebrate the holiday, you can politely tell them that their country practically invented the festival..! Now if you’re thinking “Why on earth would a Spanish colony in America be celebrating an Irish Saint?” you’re not alone. The explanation lies in the fact that the colony had an Irish vicar. The vicar organised the festival as a way of further spreading the message of Christianity by holding a parade honouring one of Ireland’s most admired saints.
It would be another hundred years before the festival would gain further traction, when Irish soldiers based in New York marched through the city to honour Ireland’s Patron saint, as a way to help cure their home sickness for the Emerald Isle. It’s quite easy to see why such a strong connection exists between New York’s grandiose St. Patrick’s day festival and our own parades in Ireland. The very inception owes a lot to Irish immigrants in the US spreading the word of Patrick and the culture of Ireland. On a slightly different note, it’s worth mentioning that the whole myth of Patrick banishing snakes from Ireland doesn’t hold much merit in relation to historical accuracy, however, this does not remotely take away from the greatness of the man and his legacy.
Conclusion:
St.Patrick remains an enduring figure in Irish history and folklore. The boost that St.Patrick’s day gives to the Irish economy every year is unrivalled by similar religious festivals. It provides bars, restaurants & hotels their first large revenue stream for the year. Before the pandemic, Irish wholesale supplier Conaty Food and Catering Supplies had seen a substantial influx of orders in the weeks preceding St.Patrick’s day. Now, with the dropping of COVID19 restrictions, Conaty’s is thoroughly looking forward to once again supplying thousands of Irish customers with a wide array of Food, Beverages, Glassware and Hygiene Supplies to ensure a successful St.Patrick’s day for 2022. If you’re looking to revamp an aspect of your bar, restaurant or hotel, then I’d highly suggest visiting Ireland’s largest hospitality showrooms, located at Conaty’s Blanchardstown warehouse. You can book a visit online by going to conatycatering.com