Good day Keepers of the lost secrets, pixies, bookworms and cloudwalkers! Has been a while, but hey! I see that most of you enjoying past articles, which is a good thing! After all, knowledge has no date! I hope you're all well and safe and trying to find love and unlock the real mysteries of yourselves!
I'd thought we'd stick our noses to St. Patrick's life for today's article, especially because I see a lot of my friends celebrating this day and also because of the ignorance of most about the life and deeds of this celebrity. I chose to post it one day after St. Patrick's Day for my own personal reasons. In most countries, mine included, all bars, pubs etc are having St. Patrick's Day parties and celebrations without knowing anything about the history. Truth is, little is known and verified about this person, but we'll try our best to shed some light. And you know well that we do love the Light... especially that which illuminates the dark corners of libraries ;)
On the 17th of March most of the "civilised (???)" world is celebrating St. Patrick's Day and historians believe that is because it's the day of his death. Truth is he was never canonised as a saint by the Catholic Church probably because there wasn't such a thing back then. It was a public tradition that brought it on this day and remained until today. Also... something that most people don't know, is that Patrick was not even an Irishman. He was born in England by a wealthy family around 385. Most of the stories around him can't be certified by historians but even so, rumors and traditions always carry a bit of truth. Let's see more about those stories..,.
It is said that he was taken prisoner at the age of 16 by Irish raiders. That is also not been certified by historians. This group of raiders attacked his family's estate and took him with them, possibly in County Mayo near Killala though others believe it was in Mount Slemish in County Antrim. Whatever the case of the specific location, both sides agree to his captivity although it has not been proven historically. One way or another, he reached Ireland. His father was a christian deacon but it is believed that he took that role for tax purposes rather than pure belief.
Going back to Patrick's affairs... he was working as a shepherd, away from people and communication with others. At this time, it is said that he turned to his faith and became a devoted christian because he was lonely. Rumors have it that he dreamt of converting the Irish folk during his captivity. He said it was God's voice that spoke to him, telling him to escape from Ireland. We have to mention at this point, that he was been captive for 6 or 7 years. So according to his writings, he walked 200 miles to the Irish coast and returned to England where he had another 'dream revelation', in which an angel told him to return to Ireland as a missionary. What he did, was a 15 years' training to know the ways and means to do that. He was ordinated a priest and he travelled again to Ireland, having two missions: to approach the christians lived there and to convert the Irish. Of course this comes in contradiction with the notion that wants him introducing Christianity to Ireland.
To be honest, his methods were cunning as he chose to keep pagan traditions in order to persuade the Irish to christianity more easily. Such as bonfires for the Easter and the symbol of the sun, unto the christian cross which is widely known as the Celtic cross. The majority of the Irish were celtic-pagan nature believers and had an astonishing and wide pantheon that, as it is accepted, was very old and maybe before the establishment of the Irish as one folk. The Irish had a huge tradition of story- and history-telling, therefore it is obvious why they kept on making and telling stories for Patrick as well. One of these stories, that many believed is fictional or perhaps a coded and metaphorical truth, is that in which Patrick drove away all snakes from Ireland, 'banishing' is the word they use. Now, just a minute! Why would a person of God banish one of his creations? Some will say, it is because the snake became a symbol of Satan. Alright... but before that, it was a powerful symbol of the Old Gods, not only in Ireland, but all ancient mythologies as well, For example, snakes were sacred to Athena and were considered wise creatures. If we take it metaphorically, it means that Patrick banished the existing and established religion which was alive for centuries and the word 'banishing' by itself shows a specific amount of aggression and violence.
St. Patrick's Day was established as a feast day on the 17th century, and is celebrated officially since then by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion-especially the Church of Ireland-, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Lutheran Church as well. Although it is believed that this feast celebrates the Irish culture in general together with the supposed coming of Christianity in the Emerald Isle, according to the above examination, it only leaves us with the second conclusion about Christian domination and it's prevail. The celebrations on this day include all celtic-pagan traditions, such as bonfires, wearing green and dressing up like leprechauns (another creature of the Old religion), festivals across the country, céilithe (which is a traditional Celtic- either Scottish or Irish- social gathering) etc. As most modern celebrations, it is widely commercialised and from what I see, it has been reduced to an official excuse for alcohol consumption.
Nevertheless, it was a wonderful trip to history, or what is left of it in our days and I strongly encourage my readers to visit Ireland whether it is on this specific holiday or not! Ireland is a wonderful and blessed place to be!
Enjoy whichever feast and holiday you prefer, always be cautious and safe! Stay strong, keep dreaming!
Source:
Comments