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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. This idea is very widespread in the pagan community, but is coming from one source in the 1911 book ‘Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries’ (page 444) where a man speculates that a certain lough is where saint Patrick had a final confrontation with the Druids and drove them out, and that he assumes the druids and snakes were the same because the As a young pagan, I believed this myth and would don a temporary snake tattoo every St. Patrick’s Day. Or, I’d wear all black in an anti-St. Patrick’s Day statement. Because, the idea that Saint Patrick drove out the pagans is an easy belief to get behind. The problem is that it’s not true. Most scholars agree: the “snakes” Patrick drove out were not animals—but ancient beliefs. In pre-Christian Ireland, the serpent was a symbol of spiritual power—used by druids, pagans, and mystics of the old ways. The myth of Patrick banishing snakes likely represents his mission to displace paganism and convert Ireland to Christianity. The Saint and the Serpents: Unraveling the Legend of St. Patrick and the Snakes. The saint most famously associated with driving snakes out of Ireland is St. Patrick.Legend claims he banished all serpents from the Emerald Isle, chasing them into the sea after they attacked him during a 40-day fast. Now, let’s address the shamrock in the room: St. Patrick’s famous snake eviction party. Historically speaking, scholars widely agree that St. Patrick’s “banishing of the snakes” was actually a metaphor for the removal of old pagan beliefs—particularly Druidic traditions—and the spread of Christianity. This day reinterprets the “snakes” in St. Patrick’s lore as symbols of ancient pagan traditions rather than literal serpents. Celebrated concurrently with St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th, All Snakes Day is an homage to Ireland’s pagan heritage, offering a moment to reflect and recognize the island’s rich spiritual past. This has led some Pagans to believe that “snakes” are a metaphor for Pagans, and view St. Patrick as the one who committed cultural genocide on the Celtic people. One of the most interesting articles I read that questions this connection is a piece by Jason Pitzl-Waters on his blog The Wild Hunt: A Modern Pagan Perspective. St. Patrick’s Day has changed substantially over the years since its founding in the 1600s. Stemming from traditions heavily rooted in religion, St. Patrick’s Day originated on March 17th to celebrate St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland and Engineers, who was renowned for spreading Christianity throughout Ireland and whose legend has become deeply intertwined [] The shamrock legend came along centuries after Patrick’s death, as did the miraculous battles against the druids. And forget about the story about him driving out the snakes – Ireland never had any to begin with. The real story of St Patrick is much more interesting than the myths. What we know of Patrick’s life comes only through the All Snakes Day: A St. Patrick's Day Offshoot. Growing up in New York City, St. Patrick's Day was a much anticipated annual event for me. When I became Pagan, however, there seemed to be a bit of a dilemma. Most Pagans loathed the holiday because of the legends associated with it. So St. Patrick went around Ireland using his staff to turn shamrocks into leprechauns. The leprechauns ate all the snakes and the potatoes were able to grow again. The people rejoiced and thanked St. Patrick. And that is why we celebrate St. Patrick's day today. The snake legend is a later invention. As I recall the only time Patrick mentions snakes in his writings is to give out about Christians taking slaves from Christian communities in Britain. Patick himself never compares druids and pagans to snakes. This is what Patrick says about living with Pagans in Ireland. 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. Modern Christianity will tell you that St Patrick was a runaway slave, a mystic, a miracle worker who drove the snakes out of Ireland and saved us all from the dirty Pagans. Modern Paganism will tell you that St Patrick was evil, established patriarchy, and that the 'snakes' represent the innocent Pagan Druids he had murdered and driven away. Among pagans of many kinds it's become a celebration of the snakes St. Patrick 'cast out' (from an island that didn't have snakes). Thematically we are the snakes. He didn't get rid of us. Learn how Pagans can celebrate St. Patrick's Day without guilt. Afterall, St. Pat drove the "snakes" ("Druids") out of Ireland, but even Pagans can celebrate. A Pagan Celebration of St. Patrick's Day - PaganSquare “Today is St. Patrick’s Day, a yearly holiday celebrating Ireland’s favorite patron saint. While it’s a big event in Ireland (and used to be a very solemn occasion), in America it’s a green-dyed bacchanal where everyone is ‘Irish for a day’ (let’s not even start on the horridly stupid ‘unofficial’ St. Patrick’s Day celebrations on college campuses).
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