Not having been raised Roman Catholic and, to my knowledge, not having a drop of Irish blood in my ancestry, I have often wondered just what all the fuss is about. Why do we get pinched if we don’t wear green on this day? What do shamrocks and leprechauns have to do with it and who was this saint who went by the name of Patrick? Patrick lived in the 5th century and it turns out, he was actually British. He returned to Ireland after having been captured by the Irish and later freed. He is celebrated for having brought Roman Catholicism to Ireland upon his return there. The leprechauns are a holdover from the strong Celtic influence prior to that time. They are known for their mischievousness and apparently enjoyed pinching people; however, if you wore green, you became invisible to them. Leprechauns are not necessarily good or evil, but more like a fallen fairy – kind of like human beings. The three-leaved clover, or shamrock, is representative in the Catholic teachings of the father, son, and holy ghost.
There was a devastating potato famine in Ireland in 1845, so many Irish families packed up and moved to America. Their numbers in this country grew and sometime in the 1600’s they began to have parades commemorating the death of St. Patrick. The parades have become a big deal all over the country for Irish Americans and a symbol of their Irish pride.
In spite of not being Irish, I have always been drawn to the beauty of Ireland, as much, if not more so than England. There is a beautiful ancient quality about these places. The mild climate, the ample rainfall, and the surrounding seaside pull at some part of me, from a far off past. Today; however, it is the green that beckons me. All things green speak to the gardener in me. I dream of lush forests while I am imprisoned in this snow-covered barren land. I will cover myself in green clothing today, in celebration of and perhaps in anticipation of, spring and rain and green.
