To some,

St. Patrick's Day means wearing designs of shamrocks or

lots of green and perhaps even those pins that read

"Kiss me, I'm Irish."

For others

it is a special excuse to head to a local tavern and

enjoy Irish music and beverages. The history of the

holiday goes back to fifth century Ireland, though, and

is quite reverent.

St. Patrick

was belived to have been born in Scotland and at the age

of 16 was kidnapped and sold in Ireland as a slave. He

worked as a shepherd and learned the Irish language,

plotting his escape all the while. Eventually, St.

Patrick reached the European continent and was ordained

first as a deacon, then a priest and finally as a bishop.

Pope

Celestine sent him back to Ireland to preach the gospel

and the legend was born.

There are

places all over the British isles that are named for St.

Patrick. He spoke to people all over the countryside,

blessing them and leading them to God. In one speech, he

used a shamrock to illustrate the existence of Three in

One, having the shamrock symbolize the cross and the

blessed trinity. The shamrock was also thought to be a

remedy against stings of snakes and scorpions, which is

interesting when you consider St. Patrick is credited for

driving the snakes out of Ireland.

There were

probably not any snakes in Ireland since the country

broke off from the continent at the end of the ice age,

but the action is a symbolic end to pagan practices. St.

Patrick then wrote several books in his later years and

achieved his sainthood. Today, there are churches all

over the world named after him, including the most

famous, St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.

Many of the

traditions that still exist today can be traced back to

the traditons of fifth century Ireland and have been

passed on through religious practices. While many people

see St. Patrick's Day as a day to get rowdy and

intoxicated, the roots of this holiday are in

Christianity.

And that's

no blarney.

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