So in the interest of educating ya'll about some of the common misconceptions about St. Patrick's day and Irish tradition in general I figured hell, might as well pop your bubbles now.
St. Patrick Facts:
Yes, St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland even though he has never been formally canonized. He is the man given credit for bringing all us pagans under the umbrella of Christianity. No, he's not a native Irishman. He was born in Wales to a wealthy family. He was captured by pirates at the age of 16 who sold into slavery in Ireland. He escaped 6 years later and returned to Britain. His enslavement was the driving force in his quest to convert the Irish. Nobody knows where St. Patrick is buried though most historical data points to Glastonbury.
The Shamrock:
The shamrock or searoy owes it's fame to St. Patrick double over. Legend has it that in trying to explain the Holy Trinity to the tribal leaders, he used a shamrock to display how even nature pays tribute to the Holy of Holies. Legend also tells how St. Patrick used a shamrock in ridding the land of serpents. Though most scholars argue that the reason St. Patrick chose to use a shamrock while converting the tribes is because the shamrock was already considered sacred, the natural occurance of three leaves honoring the mystical number for Celtic religions.
Leprechauns:
This is the most common bastardization of traditional Irish belief in modern times. Traditionally, leprechauns were aloof hermits who were very unfriendly even violent. Yes, they're an Irish fairy standing about 2 feet tall and usually thought of as old men. In legends they fill their time making shoes, and hoarding their pot of gold. It was said that their pot was filled with gold they had stolen from people over the years. In order to stop the leprechaun from stealing your hard earned money, people left milk and honey out at night on a stump in order to bribe the leprechaun into leaving them be.
General Irish Facts:
Did you know that recent studies have shown that Irish are a race of their own separate of Caucasions?
Current population census shows that over 36million Americans are of Irish origin?
Did you know that centuries ago one Irish man carved his family genes in history? As of today, over 75% of people with Irish ancestry are related by his bloodline.
Did you know when an Irishman references Orange and Green they're talking about Protestants and Catholics? It was common for children of Orange and Green parents to have two different names, one for each side of the family.
xoxo Gin
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