5 Things You Didn't Know About the Feast of St. Patrick

St. Patrick’s Day is once again upon us. Most think they know what the holiday is all about — like the need to wear green so we do not get pinched.

But wearing green on St. Patrick's Day actually started as folklore. Donning green is a tradition most Americans participate in on St. Patrick’s Day, along with going to bars. In fact, statistics show that 1 in 3 Americans admits to binge drinking on the holiday, and over 13 million pints of Guinness are consumed on it.

But the day is about more than drinking and bar hopping. The feast of St. Patrick can be a cultural holiday, but it is also a religious celebration held every March 17, commemorating St. Patrick’s death in the year 461.

READ: ‘I Am Patrick’ Shatters Myths To Highlight The True Ministry Of Ireland’s Beloved Saint

READ: Once Divided, How Two Catholic Immigrant Communities Came Together

St. Patrick’s Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Roman Catholic Church and Anglican Communion, as well as Eastern Orthodox and Lutheran churches.

Here are five things you didn’t know about St. Patrick’s Day:

A celebration of the saint’s life

It is not clear when St. Patrick was born, but it is believed that he died on March 17. Much of what we know about St. Patrick’s life comes from the “Confessio,” a book he wrote during his final years.

In it, he wrote, “My name is Patrick. I am a sinner, a simple country person, and the least of all believers. I am looked down upon by many. My father was Calpornius. He was a deacon; his father was Potitus, a priest, who lived at Bannavem Taburniae. His home was near there, and that is where I was taken prisoner. I was about sixteen at the time. At that time, I did not know the true God. I was taken into captivity in Ireland, along with thousands of others. We deserved this, because we had gone away from God, and did not keep his commandments. We would not listen to our priests, who advised us about how we could be saved. The Lord brought his strong anger upon us, and scattered us among many nations even to the ends of the earth. It was among foreigners that it was seen how little I was.”

St. Patrick wasn’t Irish

Irish eyes may be smiling on St. Patrick’s Day, but he wasn’t born there. A Christian missionary, St. Patrick was born in Great Britain. At age 16, he was captured by pirates and made a slave in Ireland for six years. He spent his time focusing on his faith and later shared it with everyone else because of a vision he had.

The Irish were pagan at the time. Patrick's efforts were eventually turned into an allegory, in which he drove "snakes" out of Ireland, despite the fact that snakes were not known to inhabit the region.

Alcohol and a break from Lent

St. Patrick’s Day falls during Lent. The 40-day period of Lent culminates with Easter. While there is a lot of fasting and prayer during Lent, St. Patrick’s Day allows for Christians to temporarily halt the food restrictions. What about St. Patrick’s Day falling on a Friday, a day when Catholics refrain from consuming meat? That’s not a problem, since bishops often give believers a dispensation allowing them can eat corned beef, a traditional Irish dish.

In Ireland, faith and superstition became intertwined when the alcohol consumed on St. Patrick’s Day became known as “Póta Phádraig,” or “St. Patrick’s Pot.” The tradition — known as “drowning the shamrock” — involves making a toast to St. Patrick, then tossing a shamrock over the shoulder for good luck. 

Why the Irish care about shamrocks

The video above explains the legend of the three-leaf clover known as a shamrock. St. Patrick was known to hold up a shamrock to unbelievers and explain the trinity.

The luck of St. Patrick  

The clover is said to bring the holder luck on St. Patric’ks Day. Similar to the shamrock, the four-leaf type depicts faith, luck, hope and love. But what does luck have to do with St. Patrick? The saint walked into the most sinful areas and showed them the luck of their lives by teaching them Christianity. It may not be seen as luck to an outsider, but to the Irish it was luck.

Alicia Lenea is a student at The King’s College majoring in Journalism, Culture and Society. She is an intern at Religion Unplugged.