Green is the Warmest Color
"Many people die of thirst, but the Irish are born with one."
- Spike Milligan, comedian and writer
Saint Patrick's Day is a celebration of Ireland itself, but a little research reveals peculiar facts behind this cultural festival.
Saint Patrick was a missionary and bishop in Ireland, whom along with Saints Brigit and Columba, were the primary saints of this island nation. He was born in Britain around 385 AD, to aristocratic parents who were believed to be Romans. Celebrants must wear green, but Saint Patrick dressed in blue vestments. It happened that Ireland is nicknamed "The Emerald Isle", and as more people observed this event, Saint Patrick Day would no longer be a holy day of obligation. He was also credited for banishing the snakes out of Ireland. It didn't matter that science refutes this by arguing that there's never been any snake in that water-locked country, but this, along with many others, make Saint Patrick's Day fascinating, its significance assuming proportions beyond Ireland's borders.
Like most saints, Saint Patrick was ambivalent towards religion when he was a child, finding his true calling during adulthood in Slemish in northern Ireland. The panorama of tidy fields, with an extinct volcano in the background, was eye candy, but for Saint Patrick, it was something else; he was a slave back then, working as a shepherd for a fellow named Miluic. When he heard that "voice", he fled the spot, have been to many other places, and returned to Britain. He did get back to Ireland, but he was a missionary by then.
As a preacher, he used the shamrock, young sprigs of a clover, which would be the symbol of the Holy Trinity. It also represented rebirth and eternal life, though some historians believed that this belief dated back to pagan Ireland, as the people back then believed in a number triple goddesses. (Again, it didn't matter, as facts became legend.) Then there was this other fascinating tale about his walking stick that turned into a living tree. There were more, which scientists and historians would disprove, but they would agree that March 17 was the day of his death. (There were no records on the exact date of his birth.)
Saint Patrick was also partial to a shot or two of whiskey. In fact, one story recounted his chastising of an innkeeper for serving him too little of a drink. Nowadays, this piece of information would be a good excuse for celebrators to indulge in alcohol. For Americans, there was no need to remind them of this, as they welcomed this special day after enduring the cold wave. If Saint Patrick were alive, he might have been overwhelmed by the fact that everyone, from Australia to Japan, from Argentina to Montserrat, have been celebrating his day. You don't need to be Irish to take part in the festivities, as all you need is a few glasses of beer (to make you feel Irish).
The observance wouldn't be complete without those delicious Irish recipes, from báirín breac (sweetened bread) to stew. But this would be another story.
