Collegiate Times

What does March 17 mean to you? Maybe it is an excuse to put on that T-shirt you bought online that proudly declares your heritage, whether true or not. ?Kiss Me,? it says, ?I?m Irish.? Perhaps it is a day for you to go from class to class, stranger to stranger, inflicting pain in the form of a tight pinch to those too forgetful to wear the right color clothing. ?Stickers don?t count,? you?ll tell them as your nails dig into their arm for a festive squeeze.

Or maybe it is even a wonderful day of stress relief for you and your friends to travel from bar to bar downtown, buying pitchers of beer dyed in the spirit of the shamrock. You gulp down each glass saying to yourself, ?It?s Saint Patrick?s Day, let us celebrate it the way the Irish intended!?

Well, Virginia Tech, you and your friends are mistaken. It?s not about the green, the leprechauns, the pinching or even the booze. The holiday, in its basest form, has nothing to do with Irish pride at all. In fact, the real Saint Patrick wasn?t even from Ireland. He is thought to be born in Wales, a part of mainland England across the Irish channel. The holiday is meant to celebrate the saint?s works in and around Ireland, converting Pagans to Christianity and teaching forgiveness and humility.

So who was Saint Patrick? He was a Pagan himself. His small hometown on the coast of Wales was invaded sometime when he was a boy.

Maewyn, as he was originally named, was sold into slavery and shipped to Ireland at the age of 16. Six years later he escaped, seeking refuge at a monastery in Gaul. There, Maewyn changed his name to Patrick and studied Catholicism. This is only one version of Saint Patrick?s history however. Several other versions place him as being born closer to London or even in parts of Scotland.

It is then said that, two years later, Patrick returned to Ireland. His only mission was to convert the non-believers of the country to Christianity. It turned out that he was so persuasive and affective that the Celts put him in jail on numerous occasions. However, each time, Patrick found a way to escape.

Thirty years after he began his mission, he retired and then died on March 17, AD 461. Patrick was made a saint for his devotion to the church and his success in Great Britain. From that day forward the day of his death was celebrated throughout Ireland, Scotland and in the Catholic community as a day of remembrance and solemn worship.

But then what happened? Well through the years and the cultures, the religious holiday was transformed into a joyous celebration. This may be due to its proximity to spring, a symbol of fertility and life. Today it is traditionally celebrated almost as a mirror of Oktoberfest. Instead of celebrating the bountiful harvest of the summer and the coming of winter, Saint Patrick?s Day rejoices in the end of winter and the coming of the fruitful sunny-season. Images of green have worked their way into the now-secular celebration, a symbol of spring, growth and the renewal of life with the changing of the seasons.

Even the shamrock once held a deep religious meaning. This three-leafed clover is an abundant weed throughout the fields of Ireland, Scotland and Britain. It is said to have been used by Saint Patrick to illustrate the Holy Trinity, a Christian belief that God is three entities in one. He showed that the three parts could exist separate while they were still connected at a central point. The shamrock was later incorporated into the Saint Patrick?s Day tradition as a symbol of luck and good fortune.

Two weeks from today we celebrate the death of Saint Patrick in the shadow of spring break. We will return possibly broke, tired, and in no mood to pick up our scholastics where we left off. But have no fear! Yes, Virginia Tech, there is a Saint Patrick. And in his memory we coordinate our green wardrobe and wander the streets between parties and bars on March 17 for another glass of green hops and barley.

We pinch our neighbors, conjure images of leprechauns with their pots of gold, and even partake in traditional Irish cuisine. So whether you recognize the Friday after spring break for its jovial spring celebration, its deeply-rooted piety, or as a fashionable day to wear green, remember the true meaning of the holiday and may the luck o? the Irish be with you.