Fun Facts about St. Patrick

Oh, hi! Thought you'd lost me had you? Well, nope! I'm still here! ::polishes fingernails and chuckles evilly:: Mu-ha-ha-ahem. Well, anyway, I'm here to tell you about the wonderful tradition of....guitar music, fiddles, hard shoe Irish dancers, laughing, singing, sounds of beer clinking...or no...let's just talk about St. Patrick's Day. That sounds good.

Shall we start with fun facts, or Did You Know facts? Let's try...both...because you can't have an Irish thingy that isn't fun. :D

Did You Know: That the official food of St. Patrick's Day used to be Bacon? That ended soon after all the immigrants came over from Ireland after the Potato Famine and found that...Bacon was really expensive! So, they subsituted the much cheaper (at that time,) CORNED BEEF!!!

Did You Know: The children and grandchildren of Irish people can have a dual citizenship with Ireland and the US on St. Patrick's Day.

Did You Know: That Irish don't actually drink much on St. Patrick's Day, most of the Pubs are closed. (I was like What!?)

Did You Know: That green is the official color of St. Patrick's Day because it is associated with spring.

Did You Know: That Germans and Belgiums consume more beer than the Irish? (Well, that really doesn't have much to do with St. Patrick's Day, but I'm just trying to clear my name.)

See? I know something about St. Patrick's Day! Well, wait a minute, why is it called St. Patrick's Day? GAHH! I don't know! (Yes I do, but maybe you don't.) Here's the story.

St. Patrick was actually born Maywhen Suket, down in...of all places, France. He was captured by Irish pirates and brought to Ireland as a slave. As the only Christan among a land where the only religion was Paganisim, it was impossible for him to go to Mass. The powerful Druids would have killed anyone who tried to say Mass anyway.Therefore, as he tended the pigs or brought the sheep out to pasture or brushed the horses, he would pray. And, as he did so, his faith only grew. Popular legend has it that when he was sixteen, he heard God say to him that it was time to leave Ireland (Or Erin, at that time) and go back home. Somehow, he managed it, (it's a miracle, do you expect me to know how it happened?) and reached France again. There, he began to study for the priesthood, but felt the strangest calling to go back to Ireland/Erin and preach. He was ordained into the priesthood, and eventually made Bishop. Finally, he was able to return to Ireland and begin to preach. His spread in followers was astounding, and the Druids watched as their hold on the people slipped away. The Irish loved Bishop Maywhen, and called him 'Patrick' or, 'Nobleman'. Many legends surround this time of his life in Ireland. Some say that he chased all the serpants away from Ireland, though scientists say that post-glacier Ireland could never have been home to those cold blooded reptiles anyway. Whatever happened, it is widely known that his success in preaching was great, for Ireland became an almost completely Catholic country. Then, on the (it is believed) 17th of March, he died. Ever since then, he has been considered the Patron Saint of Ireland, though it didn't become official until the Eight Century.

Okay, anybody want a fun fact on St. Patrick? Here it goes: Back in the first 5 thousand years of Christianity, Canonization was officiated by the regional hierachy in the Church, not just the Vatican. Therefore, St. Patrick has never been declared a Saint by any Pope. However, he is included in the List of Saints.

If anybody's still with me, and hasn't decreed me to be a boring bit of bosh (that sounds funny. Teehee!) then here is the official prayer of St. Patrick, actually part of the Breastplate of St. Patrick.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,

Christ to comfort me and restore me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ in quiet and in danger,

Christ in the hearts of all that love me,

Christ in the mouth of friend and stranger

This is the whole of that prayer. It's too long to post, but you might like to see it. Print it out! Read it with your family! Join the legions of Irish in America, not just through food, and green colored clothing, and beer, or 'Glory be to God' s, but through prayer. Danny usually leads us in this prayer, (using speech and debate expressions) and we all repeat after him. We Irish like repeating prayers, then we all learn them together.

Hey, anyone want an Irish joke about prayer?

There was a man from Ireland who heard that Pope Benedict had had a conversation with God, and God had agreed to put a little golden telephone into every Catholic church in the world that had the label 'Direct line to God. Fee: 5 thousand $'. Now, this man was on a trip around the world, and he made a point of stopping in every Catholic church just to see this little golden telephone with its little label. Now, when he got back to Ireland, he couldn't wait to see the little telephone again in his own church. So, as soon as his ship landed, he jumped off the boat and ran into his parish church. Aye, there was the telephone, shining with the light coming through the stained glass windows. But, on the label, it said, 'Direct line to God. Fee: 2 shillings'. And the man was quite shocked, and he whispered to the priest, "Ach, Father, what might be wrong with the label on the phone? Sure, an' it's wrong." And the priest answers, "My son, the bill is cheap, because it's a call to God from Ireland. Around here, that's just a local call."

Blessings on St. Patrick's Day!

(P. S. If you want some fun, faithful, and free ideas to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, go to Catholic Icing.com. They have great recipes, print out color pages, game ideas, and loads of other stuff.)

Posted By: Caroline. Embroidress, Seamstress, Aspiring Writer, and Lord of the Rings/Narnia Fanatic