March 14, 2024 • 8 mins
In this special episode for March, we embark on a magical journey to uncover the fascinating history of St. Patrick's Day. Join us as we unravel the mysteries behind this joyous holiday, exploring its origins, traditions, and the legend of St. Patrick himself. From shamrocks to leprechauns, we'll dive into the colorful stories and symbols that make St. Patrick's Day a day of fun and celebration for people around the world. Get ready for an adventure filled with Irish tales, ancient traditions, and plenty of green magic!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Imagine you are in Boston and it is March seventeenth.
You are walking down the street with your family, when
suddenly you hear a marching band in the distance. It
sounds loud and fun, with fiddles and pipes and drums.
What is that noise? It is getting closer and closer,
and you stand by and watch as around the corner
(00:25):
come hundreds of people dressed in green. They are laughing
and playing music. Some are wearing red wigs and fake beards.
What's going on? You ask your parents why it's Saint
Patrick's Day? Of course they reply. Saint Patrick's Day is
a special day that is celebrated around the world each
(00:45):
year on March seventeenth to celebrate Irish culture and history.
It is also a date meant to remember the death
of Saint Patrick, the patron Saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's
Day has become a large celebration around them in the
world of Irish culture and pride, with parades, special foods, dancing, music,
(01:07):
and people wearing all things green. But what is the
history of Saint Patrick's Day and why do we celebrate it?
Saint Patrick's Day started as a day to celebrate the
Patriot State of Ireland. Saint Patrick was born in Roman
Britain in the fifth century and grew up with a
(01:28):
father who was a deacon of their local church. So
even though Saint Patrick became the Patriots State of Ireland,
he was not actually Irish, but was British. When Patrick
was sixteen years old, Irish raiders came to his village
and he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave.
(01:48):
A slave is someone who is held captive and has
to do work for another person for no money. Patrick
spent six years living in Ireland as a slave herdsman
taking care of He was sad living as a slave
and turned to prayer and religion to keep his spirits up.
He prayed regularly to escape so he could return home.
(02:11):
One night, when he was twenty four, Patrick snuck away
from his master and got onto a ship and headed
back to Britain. It was a difficult journey and Patrick
didn't have anything to eat on the way, so he
nearly starved to death. However, Patrick made it successfully to
the other side of the sea to his own country
of Britain. Patrick lived in Britain for a short while again,
(02:36):
but one day, while reading about the Irish people. He
felt called to return to Ireland and teach them about
his religion, Christianity. Although he had doubts about whether it
was a good idea, he decided to return to Ireland,
this time as a free man. Patrick returned to Ireland
and traveled broadly throughout the country, teaching people everywhere he
(02:58):
went about his religion. It was a dangerous time to
be traveling alone as a foreigner and trying to convert people.
To convert means to change people's thinking so they believed
the same thing as you. However, Patrick had great faith
in his mission and carried on despite being arrested, put
in chains, and threatened with death. As Patrick traveled around
(03:19):
Ireland and became more well known, myths and legends started
to grow about him. One of these legends was that
Patrick scared all of the snakes in Ireland out of
the country and into the sea, where they died. Some
people believed that Patrick was also able to bring people
back from the dead, and that he was able to
create food out of thin air. One of the most
(03:40):
well known legends about Saint Patrick is that he explained
the Christian concept of the Holy Trinity to the Irish
people by using the three leaves of an Irish clover
or shamrock. Shamrocks have since become symbols of Saint Patrick's Day.
Saint Patrick died on March seventeenth, four sixty one a
d However, he did not actually become a saint until
(04:02):
many years later, which is the normal process for Catholic sainthood.
March seventeenth became celebrated around the world as Saint Patrick's Day,
at first to celebrate him and later to celebrate Irish
cultural heritage. Generally, cultural heritage means traditions and ways of
life that have been passed down through the generations. In Ireland, today,
(04:27):
Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated as a religious holiday. Irish
families celebrate by going to church in the morning and
having a party in the afternoon. Irish people usually dance
and drink in the afternoon parties and eat a meal
that includes meat such as Irish bacon and cabbage. In
America and other places with many Irish immigrants, Saint Patrick's
(04:49):
Day is celebrated on March seventeenth, but with different traditions.
In these countries, people of Irish descent hold large annual
parades each during bagpipes and drums. Many people wear green
and dress up. The tradition started an America in the
eighteen forties, when many Irish people left Ireland due to
(05:10):
the Great Potato Famine of eighteen forty five. A famine
is an extreme shortage of food. In the eighteen forties,
nearly one million poor Irish people moved to America to
escape starvation in Ireland. With so many Irish people now
living in New York and other American cities, the Saint
Patrick's Day celebrations grew in size and popularity. In eighteen
(05:34):
forty eight, many New York Irish societies decided to join
together to form one big Saint Patrick's Day parade. Today,
that parade is the largest parade in the United States,
with over one hundred and fifty thousand people participating each
year and three million people watching on the side of
the road. There are also very large Saint Patrick's Day
(05:56):
parades held in other cities, such as Boston and Chicago.
As Irish immigrants spread out over the United States and
around the world, cities and countries developed their own traditions.
This is especially true in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Some common traditions include wearing shamrocks, which represent Saint Patrick's
(06:17):
teachings to the Irish people. Many people like to play
Irish music, including fiddles and pipes on Saint Patrick's Day.
There is a tradition of people carrying snake staffs in
Saint Patrick's Day parades to represent Saint Patrick driving the
snakes out of Ireland. While Irish people eat bacon and
cabbage on Saint Patrick's Irish Americans now celebrate by eating
(06:40):
a meal of corned beef and cabbage. This is because
the first Irish immigrants to America were very poor and
couldn't afford the traditional bacon and cabbage they ate back home. Instead,
they add corned beef and cabbage, having learned about this
cheaper meat from their new Jewish neighbors in America. Many
(07:01):
listeners will likely have heard about the small Irish imp
called a leprechaun. Leprechauns come from the Old Celtic belief
in fairies, which were tiny magical men and women, and
old Celtic fairy tales. Leprechauns were cranky little people that
were responsible for mending the shoes of other fairies. Leprecauns
were also believed to be hiding gold and would use
(07:23):
trickery to protect their hiding places. Today, many people like
to dress up as leprechauns on Saint Patrick's Day. One
tradition many children are familiar with is the practice of
pinching people on Saint Patrick's Day if they are not
wearing green. Because green came to be seen as a
color of Irish pride amongst Irish people in America, pinching
(07:45):
those who are not wearing green stated as a gentle
way of reprimanding those who are not showing Irish pride. However,
nowadays kids do this mostly just for fun, so don't
forget to wear something green on March seventeenth. Have you
ever seen and participated in Saint Patrick's Day celebrations. What
are some of the waves that your family celebrates their
(08:06):
cultural heritage.
Imagine you are in Boston and it is March seventeenth.
You are walking down the street with your family, when
suddenly you hear a marching band in the distance. It
sounds loud and fun, with fiddles and pipes and drums.
What is that noise? It is getting closer and closer,
and you stand by and watch as around the corner
(00:25):
come hundreds of people dressed in green. They are laughing
and playing music. Some are wearing red wigs and fake beards.
What's going on? You ask your parents why it's Saint
Patrick's Day? Of course they reply. Saint Patrick's Day is
a special day that is celebrated around the world each
(00:45):
year on March seventeenth to celebrate Irish culture and history.
It is also a date meant to remember the death
of Saint Patrick, the patron Saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's
Day has become a large celebration around them in the
world of Irish culture and pride, with parades, special foods, dancing, music,
(01:07):
and people wearing all things green. But what is the
history of Saint Patrick's Day and why do we celebrate it?
Saint Patrick's Day started as a day to celebrate the
Patriot State of Ireland. Saint Patrick was born in Roman
Britain in the fifth century and grew up with a
(01:28):
father who was a deacon of their local church. So
even though Saint Patrick became the Patriots State of Ireland,
he was not actually Irish, but was British. When Patrick
was sixteen years old, Irish raiders came to his village
and he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave.
(01:48):
A slave is someone who is held captive and has
to do work for another person for no money. Patrick
spent six years living in Ireland as a slave herdsman
taking care of He was sad living as a slave
and turned to prayer and religion to keep his spirits up.
He prayed regularly to escape so he could return home.
(02:11):
One night, when he was twenty four, Patrick snuck away
from his master and got onto a ship and headed
back to Britain. It was a difficult journey and Patrick
didn't have anything to eat on the way, so he
nearly starved to death. However, Patrick made it successfully to
the other side of the sea to his own country
of Britain. Patrick lived in Britain for a short while again,
(02:36):
but one day, while reading about the Irish people. He
felt called to return to Ireland and teach them about
his religion, Christianity. Although he had doubts about whether it
was a good idea, he decided to return to Ireland,
this time as a free man. Patrick returned to Ireland
and traveled broadly throughout the country, teaching people everywhere he
(02:58):
went about his religion. It was a dangerous time to
be traveling alone as a foreigner and trying to convert people.
To convert means to change people's thinking so they believed
the same thing as you. However, Patrick had great faith
in his mission and carried on despite being arrested, put
in chains, and threatened with death. As Patrick traveled around
(03:19):
Ireland and became more well known, myths and legends started
to grow about him. One of these legends was that
Patrick scared all of the snakes in Ireland out of
the country and into the sea, where they died. Some
people believed that Patrick was also able to bring people
back from the dead, and that he was able to
create food out of thin air. One of the most
(03:40):
well known legends about Saint Patrick is that he explained
the Christian concept of the Holy Trinity to the Irish
people by using the three leaves of an Irish clover
or shamrock. Shamrocks have since become symbols of Saint Patrick's Day.
Saint Patrick died on March seventeenth, four sixty one a
d However, he did not actually become a saint until
(04:02):
many years later, which is the normal process for Catholic sainthood.
March seventeenth became celebrated around the world as Saint Patrick's Day,
at first to celebrate him and later to celebrate Irish
cultural heritage. Generally, cultural heritage means traditions and ways of
life that have been passed down through the generations. In Ireland, today,
(04:27):
Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated as a religious holiday. Irish
families celebrate by going to church in the morning and
having a party in the afternoon. Irish people usually dance
and drink in the afternoon parties and eat a meal
that includes meat such as Irish bacon and cabbage. In
America and other places with many Irish immigrants, Saint Patrick's
(04:49):
Day is celebrated on March seventeenth, but with different traditions.
In these countries, people of Irish descent hold large annual
parades each during bagpipes and drums. Many people wear green
and dress up. The tradition started an America in the
eighteen forties, when many Irish people left Ireland due to
(05:10):
the Great Potato Famine of eighteen forty five. A famine
is an extreme shortage of food. In the eighteen forties,
nearly one million poor Irish people moved to America to
escape starvation in Ireland. With so many Irish people now
living in New York and other American cities, the Saint
Patrick's Day celebrations grew in size and popularity. In eighteen
(05:34):
forty eight, many New York Irish societies decided to join
together to form one big Saint Patrick's Day parade. Today,
that parade is the largest parade in the United States,
with over one hundred and fifty thousand people participating each
year and three million people watching on the side of
the road. There are also very large Saint Patrick's Day
(05:56):
parades held in other cities, such as Boston and Chicago.
As Irish immigrants spread out over the United States and
around the world, cities and countries developed their own traditions.
This is especially true in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Some common traditions include wearing shamrocks, which represent Saint Patrick's
(06:17):
teachings to the Irish people. Many people like to play
Irish music, including fiddles and pipes on Saint Patrick's Day.
There is a tradition of people carrying snake staffs in
Saint Patrick's Day parades to represent Saint Patrick driving the
snakes out of Ireland. While Irish people eat bacon and
cabbage on Saint Patrick's Irish Americans now celebrate by eating
(06:40):
a meal of corned beef and cabbage. This is because
the first Irish immigrants to America were very poor and
couldn't afford the traditional bacon and cabbage they ate back home. Instead,
they add corned beef and cabbage, having learned about this
cheaper meat from their new Jewish neighbors in America. Many
(07:01):
listeners will likely have heard about the small Irish imp
called a leprechaun. Leprechauns come from the Old Celtic belief
in fairies, which were tiny magical men and women, and
old Celtic fairy tales. Leprechauns were cranky little people that
were responsible for mending the shoes of other fairies. Leprecauns
were also believed to be hiding gold and would use
(07:23):
trickery to protect their hiding places. Today, many people like
to dress up as leprechauns on Saint Patrick's Day. One
tradition many children are familiar with is the practice of
pinching people on Saint Patrick's Day if they are not
wearing green. Because green came to be seen as a
color of Irish pride amongst Irish people in America, pinching
(07:45):
those who are not wearing green stated as a gentle
way of reprimanding those who are not showing Irish pride. However,
nowadays kids do this mostly just for fun, so don't
forget to wear something green on March seventeenth. Have you
ever seen and participated in Saint Patrick's Day celebrations. What
are some of the waves that your family celebrates their
(08:06):
cultural heritage.
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