Celebrate Irony on St. Paddy's Day

Ah, it's coming 'round quickly, March 17, the wearing of the green, the lore of the leprechaun and the celebration of all things Irish. But while many look forward to the festivities and the brews, most of us don't consider the history or meaning behind what has become a day of interesting ironies.

St. Patrick was born in 385 AD and died in 461 AD, not a bad lifespan, considering he was born in Roman Britain, kidnapped into slavery and brought to Ireland. He eventually became a beloved bishop in the Catholic church and the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick's Day was made an official holy "feast day" to celebrate St. Patrick bringing Christianity to Ireland. But the day picked to party down was March 17, the same day used to commemorate St. Patrick's death day. Depending on perspective and religious beliefs, that might make perfect sense (i.e. St. Patrick made his journey to heaven) or seem a little dark.

It also might seem funny that St. Patrick's Day was viewed as a kind of "day of rest" from the Lenten tradition of fasting and abstaining from alcohol. It quickly became an alchol-centric holiday that has grown in popularity over the centuries, something like Mardi Gras (aka Fat Tuesday) but with more beer and ale, and not relegated to New Orleans, but celebrated throughout the world. Consider this recent stat: Guiness products sold on St. Patrick's Day increase 819% compared to the rest of the year.

Green is the official color of the day, but unless they're familiar with Irish history, culture and lore, most people don't know why. Green was associated with Irish Catholics, orange with Protestants. As to the shamrock, St. Patrick was thought to have used the three-leaf clover to explain the Holy Trinity when he preached to the Irish pagans. Some believe the shamrock was also used to express the pagan notion of nature's ability to regenerate. And the rare four-leaf clover? Well, that's lucky, of course - though if examined through the religious lens of the three-leaf clover's meaning (i.e. the Trinity), the notion leads to a lot of head scratching.

Notwithstanding, St. Patrick's Day promises lots of levity and a break from the "marching on" of everyday life. No matter how you think about the upcoming holiday, though, remember: It's not St. Patty's Day. It's St. Paddy's Day. St. Patrick was Irish, and Paddy comes from the Irish spelling, Pádraig. Patty is short for Patricia. Given the strange turns this holiday has taken, perhaps Patty, whoever she is, will someday be celebrated, too.

-Katherine Gotthardt

Writer Katherine Gotthardt has enjoyed writing, editing and teaching for more than twenty years. While not Irish, she has been known to wear green on St. Patrick's Day and use the holiday as justification for pinching family members.