Almanac of Story Tellers: St. Patrick's Day

Every day brings a new story.  And each day contributes to the art of story telling -- in prose and poetry, in music, on the stage, on the screen, and, of course, in books. 

Today is the story of March 17th

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    It is the 76th day of the year, leaving 289 days remaining in 2022.

    It is said that on this date in 461 (more or less) Saint Patrick died. And that is why today is celebrated as St. Patrick's Day, or, more properly in Irish, Lá Fhéile Pádraig.

    Patrick, whose life has been documented as being sometime in the 5th Century, (or, perhaps, is the tale of two people whose life stories were combined) is the patron saint of Ireland, and is intertwined with the country and its connection with and devotion to Catholism.

    Rarely has a patron saint and its country been so tied to the telling of stories. But as Ireland has produced some of the greatest writers and story tellers (seanchai) over the centuries, Patrick is said to have used stories to convert the pagan Celtic people to Christianity. But of course, like many an Irish tale, some may have been brought forth after the fact, exaggerated a wee bit, or outright invented.

 

  For instance, shamrocks are a symbol of Ireland because, it is said, Patrick used the three-leaved clover plant to represent the trinity of God --the father, the son, and the holy spirit.

    (Spoiler alert!) Patrick is not even Irish, but was born in Britain when it was part of the Roman Empire. He was captured by Irish pirates (sure and it's true) and enslaved, but later escaped and returned to Britain. But entranced by the Irish (as are we all) he returned to teach and convert them to the word of god.

    While there the second time around, Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland while in a trance after praying and fasting for 40 days. He stamped his feet, and the evil demons slithered off to the sea.

    Well, kind of. More likely is that snakes have never been in Ireland because it's isolated as an island, and is too cold and damp for them. Scientists (killjoys) say there are no native snakes in the country.

    Patrick may have worn green robes while preaching and converting. But it's more likely there were blue, and the color aged over the years to be more in line with the symbolic color of Ireland.

    Oh. One more things. Patrick was never canonized as a saint. But he is venerated and recognized as one by most of the Christian churches in the world.

    And his feast day is celebrated in more countries in the world than any other saint's feast day.

    Beannachtaì na Fhéile Pádraig sona ort!