Arabnews24.ca:Wednesday 2 March 2022 10:19 AM: With many COVID-19 restrictions being lifted, Canadians from coast-to-coast can look forward to celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day. This fun and jolly holiday is an annual celebration that takes place every year on March 17. This year will be the first Saint Patrick’s Day after missing two years of celebrations due to COVID-19 restrictions.
However, Saint Patrick’s Day wasn’t always the holiday we know and love today. It started in medieval Ireland, mostly as a religious ceremony. The holiday was created around the 10th Century AD to commemorate St. Patrick and the arrival of Christianity into Ireland. Saint Patrick, whose real name was Maewyn Succat, was born during the 4th century and preached into the 5th century.
Who Was Saint Patrick?
Today, we see Saint Patrick as the Patron Saint of Ireland. But how did he achieve that status? St. Patrick was the son of a minor local official in Roman Britain. As a child, he was and wasn’t much of a believer. However, after he got captured by the Irish and later escaped them, St. Patrick become much more religious and devoted to Christianity.
Legend has it that Saint Patrick received a dream that he claimed was a divine message from God. The dream commanded Saint Patrick to return to Ireland to help the Irish people find Christianity. At t his point in time, the Irish were mostly Pagan and hadn’t accepted Christianity. So when St. Patrick landed on the shores of Ireland, he was one of the first people to bring Christianity to Ireland.
At first, Saint Patrick’s preachings were unwelcomed and mostly ignored. But slowly, Saint Patrick started getting followers and openly preaching to the Irish public. The Irish started accepting Christianity and Christianity soon became the dominant religion in Ireland.
The Legacy of Saint Patrick
Just a couple of centuries after Saint Patrick passed away, he had already become a legend. He was acknowledged for being the person who brought Christianity to Ireland. Saint Patrick became known as the figure who chased away all the snakes from Ireland. He is also credited for helping the poor in Ireland by feeding the hungry.
Why Do We Celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day?
St. Patrick celebrations took their start in Ireland. As mentioned earlier, these celebrations were mostly religious and commemorated the arrival of Christianity into Ireland. As Irish immigrants started arriving in Canada, they brought their cultures and traditions along with them. One of these traditions was, of course, the Saint Patrick’s Day Feast on March 17.
Because Canada is a multicultural country with many different religions, St. Patrick’s Day soon became less of a religious festival and more a symbol of Irish Identity. Today, just like Christmas, people from different religions and backgrounds from all across Canada celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Common Symbols Associated with Saint Patrick’s Day
Like many other holidays, St. Patrick’s Day has many symbols that come with it. These symbols become a common sight leading up to St. Patrick’s Day and are present everywhere on the 17th of March. One thing all these symbols have in common is that they are all green. Seriously, everything goes green on St. Patrick’s Day.
The Shamrock
One of the most common symbols you will see during Saint Patrick’s Day is the Shamrock. A shamrock is a three-leaf clover that is a symbol of both St. Patrick’s Day and Ireland as a whole. Irish legend has it that St. Patrick used a shamrock to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity, which is a fundamental Christian concept.
The whold world is Irish on the Seventeenth o’March
Thomas Augustine Daly, Irish Poet
The Colour Green
The shamrock, along with the colour green, are both common symbols that are a part of St. Patrick’s Day. These things also symbolize the nation of Ireland, as the colour green symbolizes Irish nationalism. As Irish Poet Thomas Augustine Daly once said, “The whole world is Irish on the Seventeenth o’ March!”
Leprechauns!
An article on Saint Patrick’s Day wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Leprechauns. Mischievous, little Leprechauns have become the unofficial mascot for the holiday. St. Patrick’s Day parades, which we will talk about later, are full of people dressed up as Leprechauns. These mythical creatures from Irish folklore have now become entwined with St. Patrick’s Day.
Saint Patrick’s Day Traditions in Canada
Today’s Saint Patrick’s Day is very different from the religious festival that first started in Ireland. Since the first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in Montreal in 1824, Saint Patrick’s Day has become a celebration of Irish identity.
One of the most common Saint Patrick’s Day traditions in Canada and across the world are the Saint Patrick’s Day Parades. St. Patrick’s Day parades take place in almost every big city in Canada. Unsurprisingly, the biggest St. Patrick’s Day Parade takes place in the Canadian city where it first started—Montreal. A fact that is not commonly known about Montreal and the province of Quebec is that a lot of native French speakers living there have Irish roots. This can is evident in the grand celebrations that take place in Montreal on the 17th of March.
Saint Patrick’s Day Parades in Montreal
Let’s talk a little about what the Saint Patrick’s Day parades are like. Specifically, let’s take a look at the annual parades that take place in Montreal, Quebec. During the three-hour parade, thousands of people gather on the streets to watch the spectacle. During the event, live performers, marching bands, and people dressed up in costumes join the parade. And in the midst of it all, is the mascot for the holiday—a leprechaun! Of course, it’s not a real leprechaun. It is just someone in a leprechaun costume.
Making Sure To Stay Respectful
Some other common traditions include eating Irish food, attending live Irish music concerts and wearing green. However, it is also important to stay respectful to the Irish people and their culture. Some people go overboard on St. Patrick’s Day and promote hurtful stereotypes of the Irish culture. An example is drinking loads of beer and calling it a part of the Irish culture. This stereotype about Irish people is not true and the only thing it does is hurt the Irish identity. It is good to have fun as long as we make sure to stay respectful.
Saint Patrick’s Day is an amazing opportunity to have fun and celebrate Irish culture at the same time. Just remember to stay mindful of how our actions might impact the people around us.
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My name is Zain Usmani and I am a freelance content writer who currently resides in Mississauga, Ontario. I immigrated from Pakistan to Canada 5 years ago and have lived in many cities ever since. I have lived in Calgary AB, Edmonton AB, Regina SK, London ON, and Mississauga ON, while visiting over 40 Canadian cities and towns. I have a great passion for writing and I love helping people through it.
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