Happy St. Patrick’s Day to All!
Texas, as we know it now, wouldn’t be the same without the Irish, which is why St. Patrick’s Day has such a deep-seated significance for all of us. The story of St. Patrick is one that every Irish child grows up listening to. For those of you who aren’t Irish however, there may be a misconception that he introduced Christianity to Ireland. By the time St. Patrick arrived on the island, there were already Christians there, although they practiced a pagan form of Christianity that had little in common with St. Patrick’s religion.
The Origins of a Saint
To go back to the very beginning of his life however, St. Patrick was born in Britain to a wealthy family. His family wasn’t particularly religious, although his father was a church deacon. It’s highly likely that the deaconship came because of tax incentives offered, rather than from any spiritual bent of mind.
When Patrick was 16 years old, a group of Irish raiders attacked his family’s estate, and took Patrick captive. He spent six years as a prisoner, most likely in County Mayo. After six years, Patrick received his first revelation, in which God spoke to him telling him to leave Ireland. He went to Britain, and soon after, received his second revelation, this time telling him to go back to Ireland and become a missionary. Once Patrick became a priest, he went back to Ireland to convert the local people to Christianity.
There were a few Christians living in Ireland at the time, although their practice of Christianity included plenty of traditional native beliefs and symbols. Rather than introducing a “pure” form of Christianity to them, St. Patrick used their native Celtic symbols and elements to bring them into the fold. In St. Patrick’s Christian tradition, Easter was celebrated around bonfires, and crosses had a sun superimposed on them to allow the natives to feel more comfortable about venerating the cross.
The Irish in Texas
The Irish were the first settlers in Texas during the Spanish occupation. Their roots in the state go deep. At least 4 Irishman are believed to have signed the Texas Declaration Of Independence, and 25 of them are believed to have signed the Goliad Declaration Of Independence. In 1850, there were just 1,400 Irishman in Texas. Today the number is more than 2 million.
Irish Symbols & Traditions
There are several well-known symbols and traditions associated with St. Patrick’s Day including the shamrock, leprechauns and a “traditional” meal of corned beef.
The shamrock was a sacred plant in old Ireland because it symbolized “rebirth” of springtime. By the 17th century, the Irish began seeing the shamrock as a sign of nationalism and Irish pride and began displaying it to show displeasure when the English began taking over their land and making rules against their language and Catholic religion.
The belief in leprechauns likely began due to the Celtic belief in fairies. In Celtic stories, and folklore, they were small, cranky people who were responsible for mending the shoes of the fairies. Although leprechauns did not originally have anything to do with St. Patrick’s Day, it has evolved in an American symbol of St. Patrick’s Day partially due to a 1959 Disney film, Darby O’Gill and the Little People, which portrayed the leprechaun as a cheerful, friendly and magical person.
Corned beef is now known as a “traditional” meal of the Irish; however, it only became associated with St. Patrick’s Day around the turn of the century. New York City’s Irish immigrants began to substitute corned beef for the more traditional Irish bacon to cut down on costs and learned this new alternative from their Jewish neighbors.
To these Texans of Irish descent who are celebrating this beloved holiday today, and the millions more non-Irishmen and women that love this day too, the personal injury lawyers at the Kahn Law Firm would like to wish a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!
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