2008 Woodie Awards
Celebrating the Luck of the Irish
Erin Cooper, Staff Writer
Issue date: 3/15/06 Section: Student Life
March 17th has become a day nationally recognized as St. Patrick's Day. It consists of some individuals wearing green so they don't get pinched, the search for a four leaf clover, and being on the look out for the leprechaun with a pot of gold. "My favorite thing about St. Patrick's Day is the St. Patrick's Parade in San Francisco and rocking my socks off," said Tim Moriarty, senior. "Its a day when you don't have to follow the rules."
While St. Patrick's Day may be a day celebrated by millions, a lot of people don't know why the holiday was created. To understand the origin of St. Patrick's Day we must begin with the man who started it all.
Maewyn Succat was St. Patrick's original name given to him at birth. He was born in Wales about 385 AD. At the age of 16 he was kidnapped from Britain by a group of pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. In Ireland he worked for a king as a shepherd for six years until he finally escaped to the northern coast of Gaul. It was in Gaul when Maewyn changed his name to Patrick after he had converted his old beliefs to that of Christianity. In Gaul, he studied the monastery under St. Germain for 12 years. As the years passed he began to believe he was meant to go back to Ireland to convert the pagans there to Christianity.
St. Palladius was first sent to Ireland, instead of Patrick, as a bishop and it wasn't until two years later Patrick was appointed as second bishop of Ireland. It was Patricks charm and personality that was said to have been the reason he was able to convert so many pagans to Christianity. For 30 years he spent his time in Ireland spreading the word of Christianity building monasteries, schools, and churches. When he finally retired in County Down he had baptized over 120, 000 people and built over 300 churches in Ireland.
On March 17th, 461 AD, St. Patrick died of natural causes. Since then the day has been recognized as St. Patrick's Day in memory of him and what he did in Ireland. The custom of celebrating this day didn't come to America until 1737 in Boston. St. Patrick used the shamrock in his sermons to represent the trinity of Christianity-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The shamrock is still associated with St. Patrick's Day today.
The color green is worn to represent new life and spring. It has become such a tradition in our society that if you don't wear green on March 17th you risk the chance of being pinched by someone. Though this is the tradition not everyone wears green. "I am part Irish but my tradition is not normally to wear green or get pinched," said Nick Simpson, senior. "Since I can't drink because I have diabetes, I normally spend the day driving around my friends who drink and then finish the night off with the best movie ever...Boondock Saints!"
Celebrating St. Patrick's Day is different for everyone, but the man it was created to celebrated will always be remembered for the religious acts he did in Ireland. His story might be something to remember on St. Patrick's Day, the day when the world seems a little bit greener.
While St. Patrick's Day may be a day celebrated by millions, a lot of people don't know why the holiday was created. To understand the origin of St. Patrick's Day we must begin with the man who started it all.
Maewyn Succat was St. Patrick's original name given to him at birth. He was born in Wales about 385 AD. At the age of 16 he was kidnapped from Britain by a group of pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. In Ireland he worked for a king as a shepherd for six years until he finally escaped to the northern coast of Gaul. It was in Gaul when Maewyn changed his name to Patrick after he had converted his old beliefs to that of Christianity. In Gaul, he studied the monastery under St. Germain for 12 years. As the years passed he began to believe he was meant to go back to Ireland to convert the pagans there to Christianity.
St. Palladius was first sent to Ireland, instead of Patrick, as a bishop and it wasn't until two years later Patrick was appointed as second bishop of Ireland. It was Patricks charm and personality that was said to have been the reason he was able to convert so many pagans to Christianity. For 30 years he spent his time in Ireland spreading the word of Christianity building monasteries, schools, and churches. When he finally retired in County Down he had baptized over 120, 000 people and built over 300 churches in Ireland.
On March 17th, 461 AD, St. Patrick died of natural causes. Since then the day has been recognized as St. Patrick's Day in memory of him and what he did in Ireland. The custom of celebrating this day didn't come to America until 1737 in Boston. St. Patrick used the shamrock in his sermons to represent the trinity of Christianity-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The shamrock is still associated with St. Patrick's Day today.
The color green is worn to represent new life and spring. It has become such a tradition in our society that if you don't wear green on March 17th you risk the chance of being pinched by someone. Though this is the tradition not everyone wears green. "I am part Irish but my tradition is not normally to wear green or get pinched," said Nick Simpson, senior. "Since I can't drink because I have diabetes, I normally spend the day driving around my friends who drink and then finish the night off with the best movie ever...Boondock Saints!"
Celebrating St. Patrick's Day is different for everyone, but the man it was created to celebrated will always be remembered for the religious acts he did in Ireland. His story might be something to remember on St. Patrick's Day, the day when the world seems a little bit greener.