Today is St. Patrick’s Day. I easily remember March 17, because it is the birthday of my Cousin, Glenda. We grew up together in Deepstep, GA. When her dad became a Methodist minister they moved—as Methodist clergy do. When I was a sophomore in college, I worked with him part time at his church, and part time in a State Park. He treated me like his son and I learned a lot. In alabyrinthian way, that summer is how I met Paige. Five years later I married her. But that’s another story.
There are many stories about St. Patrick, whose death we recognise today—with green and gusto! (As it turns out, it is not like any Wake you’ve ever seen; it is uproariously celebrating—kinda like a New Orleans funeral). There is green everywhere. According to folklore, you get pinched on St. Patrick’s Day for not wearing green because green makes you invisible to leprechauns. Leprechauns like to pinch people (because they can!). So. Wear the Green! If you are a stickler for exactitude, Shamrock green is a strong, highly saturated color with the hex code #009E60, also commonly referred to as Irish green.
As green rules the day, multitudes of stores promote green merchandise—parades on St. Patrick’s Day are awash in green. Some cities, located on rivers, pour potable coloring in the river, turning it green for the day. Wearing of the green is ubiquitous on St. Patrick’s Day—not because folks are afraid of being pinched by a Leprechaun, but mainly to enter into the festive spirit of the day.
Leprechauns in Irish folklore are tiny people with powers for good and evil. Sometimes considered cranky little old people whose main contribution was making or repairing shoes for other mystical people. They were considered to hoard gold, keeping it hidden from greedy folks. The legend has it that Leprechauns have a pot of gold. “If you catch a Leprechaun you can have the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. First you have to catch him. Then, there’s the rainbow’s end…..
According to The History Channel Saint Patrick, lived during the fifth century, is the patron saint of Ireland and its national apostle. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at 16. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people. Part of Irish folklore, St. Patrick is revered for driving snakes out of Ireland. My guess is that having brought Christianity to the Island, which in turn drove out much evil and trouble.
People tend to revere anyone who brings dramatic improvement to life and community. It was true of Moses, and David of the Old Testament, and, of course Jesus. While Christians do understand Jesus as Divine, throngs of others simply came to him for his wonderful works and miracles. Beyond the fables about St. Patrick, his followers found him to be true to the ways of God, in the manner of Simon Peter, the disciple of Jesus.
©Copyright Willis H. Moore 2023