The wearing of the green, singing Irish songs and drinking Irish beer are among the ways East Polk County celebrates Ireland's special holiday.
St. Patrick's Day, celebrated on March 17, honors Ireland's patron saint. Whereas in the United States communities join together to honor all things Irish with parades, pub crawls and green rivers, in Ireland it is a religious event.
The Irish patron saint was born in England but became the catalyst for Christianity in Ireland.
Patrick was born into an affluent Romano/British family in the late 4th century. His father was a Roman officer in western England, and his grandfather was a Christian priest. Roman civilization brought great wealth and organization to the big island of Britannia, but the smaller islands were still tribal in nature. As Roman power began to recede, the war-like tribes of the islands became bolder, and raids often resulted in death, destruction and the capture of the youth for slaves.
Such was the lot of Patrick. At 16 years old, he was captured by Irish raiders. He became the slave of a minor chief and tended livestock for six years in Ireland.
Saint Patrick's surviving essay, "Confessions," attests to the impact the years of solitary shepherding as a slave in a foreign land had upon his life. After escaping slavery, Patrick began to study for the Christian priesthood. He went to France and became a disciple of Bishop, and later Saint, Germanus of Auxerre.
Patrick attained a bishopric and was assigned to return to Ireland as a missionary. It was expected that he would convert the pagans to Christianity. According to his essay, he began his mission with his former master.
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Green beer is a St. Patrick's Day staple in most local bars and pubs.
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As a former resident of Ireland, Patrick had an advantage over his predecessor. He knew the language, the land and the hierarchy of chiefs. In addition, according to Patrick's preserved written words, he felt divinely inspired.
Evidently, Patrick was persuasive. He became a confidant of the most powerful chieftain, Laoghaire. Laoghaire was present when Patrick defied the order of the Druids and lit a fire the Saturday before Easter Sunday, persuading many of the Druid followers, who were attending the rites of spring, to become Christians.
After winning the support of the populace and many of the chieftains, Patrick built numerous churches, monasteries and schools. He is credited with bringing order and education to Ireland as well as encouraging morality in the spiritual leaders, including imposing celibacy upon monks and priests. This was in response to some of the Druid religious rites, which included sexual practices.
Patrick was later canonized in the Catholic tradition and has been credited with many miracles, including expelling snakes from Ireland. However many scholars, including Malcolm Day, who wrote, "A Treasury of Saints," think that early depictions of Saint Patrick actually use a snake to represent the "evil" or pagan beliefs that the saint expelled from Ireland.
March 17 is a national and religious holiday in Ireland, and if the date falls upon a Friday during the Christian season of Lent, a Catholic bishop often will give special dispensation, allowing Catholics to keep the fest of Saint Patrick, which includes meat. If March 17 falls on Good Friday or Easter Sunday, the fest of Saint Patrick in Ireland will be changed to another date.
The first St. Patrick's Day parade held in North America is recorded as taking place in New York, prior to the Revolutionary War. A battalion of Irish soldiers marched in formation and sang Irish songs on March 17, 1762.
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Eating corned beef and cabbage is another St. Patrick's Day staple.
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The tradition of Irishmen gathering on March 17 to keep the St. Patrick's Day Fest and parading in joyous celebration of their heritage continued in many American cities with large Irish neighborhoods. After President Truman attended the St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City in 1948, the event began to garner national attention.
In the succeeding years, March 17 in the United States has evolved into a celebration of all things Irish, including leprechauns, shamrocks and the color green, intended to represent the "Emerald Isles." Many people eat corned beef and cabbage, thinking it is an Irish dinner. In fact, corned beef and cabbage is a traditional English dish.
In East Polk County , several events have been scheduled for the week surrounding St. Patrick's Day. The Champagne and Shamrocks fundraiser, a black-tie event intended to benefit Main Street Winter Haven and the Symphony Guild of Winter Haven, is scheduled for March 12. And a 5-kilometer fundraising foot race for the children's section of the Winter Haven library will be held March 13.
"I think people like an excuse to get together with friends and family, and this is a good excuse to have a good time with people," said Chris Kovac, chairman of the library's Shamrock Walk, Run, Jog with Your Dog event.
