St. Patrick's Day is
observed each year on
March 17. St. Patrick's
Day is not an official
national holiday in
Canada. It is, however,
a provincial holiday in
Newfoundland.
St. Patrick's Day
invokes the spirit of
St. Patrick, the patron
saint of Ireland who is
credited with bringing
Christianity to the
island.
Observed as a religious
occasion in Ireland, in
Canada, it is often
marked with festive
parades and the wearing
of green. The Toronto
St. Patrick's Day Parade
is one of the largest in
North America. Since it
began in 1988, the
parade has grown to
include 100
organizations, 32 Irish
county associations,
2,000 marchers, 30
floats, 14 bands as well
as an assortment of
wolfhounds, leprechauns
and talking shamrocks.
It is believed that
Patrick was born in
Kilpatrick Scotland.
When Patrick was in his
early teens, he was
captured during a raid
and taken to Ireland as
a slave. There he
learned to tend and herd
sheep.
At this time, Druids and
pagans occupied Ireland.
Patrick learned the
practices and language
of his captors. Because
of the hardships he
faced, Patrick turned to
God.
When Patrick was twenty,
God came to him in a
dream and advised him to
go to the coast. Patrick
escaped and sailors took
him back to Britain
where he was reunited
with his parents. But
Ireland beckoned to the
young man through his
dreams, so Patrick
entered the priesthood,
was ordained as a bishop
and returned to the
Emerald Isle in March
433. He traveled across
the country converting
the people to
Christianity.
His greatest legacy was
a platoon of
scholar-monks, who
sought to preserve the
classical works of
Greece and Rome. While
the Romans were burning
down the Great Library
at Alexandria, Irish
Catholics were
faithfully copying much
of what was being lost.
The shamrock as a symbol
of St. Patrick's Day
recognizes the saint's
use of the clover to
explain the Christian
concept of the Trinity –
the three leaves
representing the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit,
with the stem
representing the
Godhead. It has been
associated with St.
Patrick’s Day and
Ireland for centuries.
Legend has it that
Patrick stood on a hill
overlooking the sea,
staff in hand and
banished all snakes from
the Isle forever. This
probably symbolizes the
end of pagan practices.
Saint Patrick died on
March 17, 461 at Sale,
where he built the first
church.
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