When you think about all of the holidays we celebrate each year, it is so easy to forget that 90% of those holidays were instated by the Catholic Church and have become tradition because they were so tied to the religious practices of our collective past. Well, holidays aren't what they used to be. There is still tradition involved, but we don't spend half the day in church to celebrate. Saint Patrick's Day with its crazy Irish t-shirts and the partying is the best example of a holiday that has completely changed from its original purpose.
The Catholic Church holds Saint Patrick in especially high esteem. The entire island nation of Ireland was once dominated by a Celtic people who worshipped their own ancestors and a multitude of gods that demanded sacrifice and war. Saint Patrick was a holy man who traveled back to Ireland after escaping captivity there solely for the purpose of converting the population. Now, Ireland is mostly stalwart Catholics because of him. If you were Catholic, wouldn't the drunkenness and goofy Irish tshirts bother you?
It was a slow and gradual change, but St. Patrick's Day is fully considered a day in which to gather with friends and drink heavily. Perhaps national stereotypes played a roll as did media influence, but no one sees St. Patrick's Day merely as a religious holiday any longer. If you were to ask most young people what St. Patrick's Day is all about, they would most likely give a hoot and a laugh before they told you it was about whiskey, green beer, and Irish drinking t shirts.
While I know for a fact that Catholicism would love nothing more than to throw the brakes on and halt the progress into secular debauchery that St. Patrick's Day is hurtling towards, I fear that the train is now officially out of control. Stopping kids from going out and throwing back green beer in those cheap Irish tee shirts is not possible any more. The church would have to instill something resembling reverence, and we are certainly no longer a reverential people.
When you go out this Saint Patrick's Day in your Irish pride t-shirts, as I'm sure you will be, take a minute and reflect on the history of the holiday. I'm not asking from a religious standpoint, but rather from a historical one. It's important for us to understand why we do the things we do, and they only way you're going to do that is if you actually educate yourself. All it takes is a simple search on the Internet to learn all you need to know. If you're going to celebrate, you should at least know why.
The Catholic Church holds Saint Patrick in especially high esteem. The entire island nation of Ireland was once dominated by a Celtic people who worshipped their own ancestors and a multitude of gods that demanded sacrifice and war. Saint Patrick was a holy man who traveled back to Ireland after escaping captivity there solely for the purpose of converting the population. Now, Ireland is mostly stalwart Catholics because of him. If you were Catholic, wouldn't the drunkenness and goofy Irish tshirts bother you?
It was a slow and gradual change, but St. Patrick's Day is fully considered a day in which to gather with friends and drink heavily. Perhaps national stereotypes played a roll as did media influence, but no one sees St. Patrick's Day merely as a religious holiday any longer. If you were to ask most young people what St. Patrick's Day is all about, they would most likely give a hoot and a laugh before they told you it was about whiskey, green beer, and Irish drinking t shirts.
While I know for a fact that Catholicism would love nothing more than to throw the brakes on and halt the progress into secular debauchery that St. Patrick's Day is hurtling towards, I fear that the train is now officially out of control. Stopping kids from going out and throwing back green beer in those cheap Irish tee shirts is not possible any more. The church would have to instill something resembling reverence, and we are certainly no longer a reverential people.
When you go out this Saint Patrick's Day in your Irish pride t-shirts, as I'm sure you will be, take a minute and reflect on the history of the holiday. I'm not asking from a religious standpoint, but rather from a historical one. It's important for us to understand why we do the things we do, and they only way you're going to do that is if you actually educate yourself. All it takes is a simple search on the Internet to learn all you need to know. If you're going to celebrate, you should at least know why.
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