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Learn how St. Patrick's Day, a Christian feast day, incorporates many pagan traditions from the ancient Celtic festival of Ostara. Discover the origins and meanings of green, shamrocks, bonfires, and more in this blog post. And while the 17th of March was pegged as the day for celebrating the apostle of Ireland, the Church does occasionally move the date (like it did in 1940 and 2008 when St. Patrick’s Day fell during Holy Week and was thus shifted to April 3rd and March 15th respectively). So yeah, bottom line: the Church sets the date of St. Patrick’s Day. A Guest Post by Morgan Daimler. Every March the pagan community, without fail, sees a surge in conversations and diatribes on saint Patrick, usually rooted in the ideas that Patrick was a maniac who wiped out the druids (represented by snakes), destroyed Irish paganism, and singlehandedly converted the entire island. The first St. Patrick's Day Parade actually took place in Boston, Massachusetts, back in 1737; the city is known for its high percentage of residents who claim an Irish ancestry. However, some modern Pagans refuse to observe a day which honors the elimination of an old religion in favor of a new one. Like many traditional holidays, St Patrick’s Day has roots in Paganism. Paganism today goes by many names and is still a practised around the world, with roughly 250,000 neopagans in the United Although St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) is a celebration of the “Emerald Isle’s” patron saint, the truth is that the festivities have a number of pagan symbolism that can be found commonly in Ancient Greek and Celtic mythology. St. Patrick’s claim to fame is that he drove the snakes from Ireland. The book, A Calendar of Saints, by James Bently, points out that March 17 th, the so-called St. Patrick’s Day was originally the day of Joseph of Arimathea, called “the Jew who gave a tomb for the body of Jesus.” He says that “nothing is known about Joseph St. Patrick’s Day is widely known for its vibrant parades, green-clad revelers, and festive gatherings around the world. But beyond the shamrocks, Guinness, and leprechauns lies a rich history that dates back over a thousand years. Originally a solemn religious feast honoring Ireland’s patron saint, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved into a What are the origins of St. Patrick’s Day? The history of St. Patrick’s Day begins with the man himself. Though many of the stories about him are shrouded in legend, there are some generally agreed upon facts. According to History.com, Patrick was born in Britain, but when he was 16, he was kidnapped from his home by Irish raiders. Most so-called Christian holidays have a pagan origin. Saint Patrick's Day may be a little different. Although, today the holiday is certainly wroth with pagan idolatry, this appears to be a case of a non-Biblical Christian holiday being made pagan rather than the usual pagan holiday being made Christian. St. Patrick’s Day, now a secular, cultural holiday here in the United States, has not always been celebrated this way. For the past millennium, St. Patrick’s Day has been a Christian holiday, honoring Ireland’s patron saint, Patrick, on the anniversary of his death. The holiday on March 17 th was not always Christian. In fact, it was St. Patrick’s Day is a global celebration of Irish culture that takes place annually on March 17, the anniversary of the patron saint of Ireland's death in the fifth century. The holiday has When you think of St. Patrick’s Day, you might think of green beer, shot glass necklaces that say “Kiss Me, I’m Irish,” and everyone suddenly talking The Myth Behind Saint Patrick’s Day. Let’s strip the commercial gloss for a moment. Behind the rivers dyed green and drunken parades lies a potent truth. Saint Patrick’s Day is not about beer. It is about identity. It is the day when the Irish diaspora—displaced, scattered, but never dislocated—celebrates its heritage. History of St Patrick’s Day: Where its Celebrated. The History of St Patrick’s Day is a holiday about celebrating the country of Ireland, the founding Ireland away from pagan and barbaric tribes, and the celebration of Celtic Heritage. How could a good Pagan celebrate St. Patrick driving the “snakes” (i.e. “Druids”) out of Ireland? Why would a Pagan celebrate a day to honor a Christian Saint? I assured everyone that I had not turned my back on my heritage and that I had created a simple Pagan ritual to appropriately celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. In Ireland, Patrick used the Celtic Cross, which he created, and the clover to explain the Holy Trinity and the Christian faith to the pagan Irish. The greatest false myth of Saint Patrick was All Snakes Day emerges as a compelling counter-narrative to St. Patrick’s Day. The earliest found mention of it was by Isaac Bonewits, a Druid and founder of Ár nDraíocht Féin. This day reinterprets the “snakes” in St. Patrick’s lore as symbols of ancient pagan traditions rather than literal serpents. Celebrated concurrently with St St. Patrick’s day commemorates the death anniversary of the revered saint of Ireland. Though St Patrick died in fifth century on 17th March 461 CE, it was only towards the early ninth or tenth century the Roman Catholic feast day of St. Patrick was observed. Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash. St. Patrick’s Day, celebrated on March 17th, commemorates St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. While the modern celebration often involves parades
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