NEAT-O
THE ORIGINS OF ST. PATRICK'S DAY

It’s a little early to be talking about this wildly popular saint’s day, but I’ve got spring break to attend to next week.
               As with most holidays that have been celebrated for centuries, the origins of St. Patrick’s Day are mildly disputed. To understand the day, we must first understand the man behind it.
               St. Patrick was born somewhere in southwestern Britain in the late 4th century (that’s right, over 1600 years ago). His given name was Maewyn Succat. Patrick wrote a sort of autobiography, entitled Confessio, in which he detailed his capture and subsequent enslavement at the age of 16. Patrick was taken to Ireland, where he served as a Druidic chieftain’s shepherd for six years. During this time, it is said he had numerous visions and became inspired to spread God’s word. He escaped to Gaul and was ordained a priest; it was here he took the name Patricius, from which his modern name is descended.
               Patrick returned to Ireland sometime later, perhaps around 432, to begin his missionary work. Although Patrick was not the first Catholic missionary to visit Ireland, he did have the most impact. However, Ireland was still a predominantly pagan country, and mostly devoid of Catholicism; as such, Patrick and his companions were often met with hostility and resistance. His Confessio imparts that he was detained no fewer than 12 times—once to be put to death—though on every occasion he was set free.
               Legend has it that at one point in Patrick’s mission, on an Easter Sunday, he used a shamrock to illustrate the Holy Trinity to the Irish folk. It is from this simple lesson that Ireland’s national symbol was born and yet endures.
               And what of the familiar tale that Patrick was the one who drove all the snakes from Ireland and into the sea? Science suggests that due to the region’s climate, Ireland never had any snakes to begin with. The more popular and likely explanation is that the story is a metaphor for what Patrick accomplished—he drove the pagans (to whom the serpent was an important religious symbol) from the country, and effectively converted it to Christianity.
               So why do we celebrate this man’s life on March 17? The deceptively simple answer is: because he supposedly died on that day. Yes, St. Patrick’s day is an anniversary of death, though you’d never guess it from all the revelry associated with it. There seems to be little authority on why drinking is so heavily associated with this day, though one source says it is because St. Patrick brought the art of distilling liquor to Ireland (though no other sources corroborate this).