I have to say St. Patricks Day has never held much interest for me personally, I can't say why really. But with holiday meanings on my mind it does suddenly intrigue me. hmmm. I like that...
In our town, St. Patrick has a particular place of influence. The local high school with St. Patrick as mascot, amid the sounds of "We are the Irish, the mighty, mighty Irish!" rally a cry for spirited play.
Saint Patrick's Day has come to be associated with everything Irish: anything green and gold, shamrocks and luck. Most importantly, to those who celebrate its intended meaning, St. Patrick's Day is a traditional day for spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide. I did not know that. And now that I'm sufficiently inspired to extract new meaning here I'll also have to take a good stare at luck.
occurring by chance; "a lucky escape"; "a lucky guess"
having or bringing good fortune; "my lucky day"; "a lucky man"
golden: presaging or likely to bring good luck; "a favorable time to ask for a raise"; "lucky stars"; "a prosperous moment to make a decision"
Well now, that does sounds promising. "Diligence is the mother of good luck." I can see that one too.
So, why is it celebrated on March 17th? One theory is that that is the day that St. Patrick died. Since the holiday began in Ireland, it is believed that as the Irish spread out around the world, they took with them their history and celebrations. The biggest observance of all is, of course, in Ireland. With the exception of restaurants and pubs, almost all businesses close on March 17th. Being a religious holiday as well, many Irish attend mass, where March 17th is the traditional day for offering prayers for missionaries worldwide before the serious celebrating begins.
information attributed to http://www.st-patricks-day.com/about_saintpatrick.html
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