We’ve been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day for centuries and rarely do we know the actual origins and history of the holiday.
St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated on March 17, 1631, when a church established a feast to honor St. Patrick, which is said to be the date he died.
With that said, here are some more fascinating facts about St. Patrick’s Day. Enjoy!
-St. Patrick was said to have been born in 385AD.
-St. Patrick was not Irish, but rather British.
-Slavery was what brought St. Patrick to Ireland. As a teenager, St. Patrick was kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery. While enslaved, he became a devout Christian.
-St. Patrick’s real name was Maewyn Succat. He studied to become a priest and when ordained as a bishop, he took the name Patrick. He was freed as a slave, became a missionary, and preached for 40 years.
-St. Patrick used the shamrock as a spiritual lesson. The three clovers represented the understanding of the Holy Trinity and the stem unified the lesson.
-Leprechauns originated in the 8th century and were considered mischievous and magical water spirits. The word comes from “luchorpan” which means small body. They also were known as shoemakers and hid crocks of gold. They don’t actually wear green, one of the biggest myths.
-There are no known female leprechauns
-The first St. Patrick’s Day parade in America was held in New York City in 1766.
Hope you enjoyed these fun facts.
If inspired please share.
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