St Patrick: The religion that brought Catholicism to Ireland and why they toast a day with beer

March 17. St. Patrick's Day. There are saints who all celebrate the festival: Catholics, Protestants, Jews, agnostics, atheists... Was evangelization in Ireland so important that it was important to many people? Obviously not, however, hectoliters of beer on that day are sold in pubs, restaurants, bars, etc. And what does the saint have to do with beer? Was the saint of the Emerald Isle a holy drinker? No, absolutely not. Let's go in part and look at the reasons for beer.

Patricio's story mixes legend with reality and disappears in the fog of time. On this subject, one of the most famous biographers, the Irish scholar TF O'Rahilly, proposed “The Theory of Two Nobles”. He later suggests that many traditions related to St. Patrick actually referred to a specific palladium sent by Pope Celestine I as the first bishop. In 430, the number of Irish Christians worked in the area until 441, and died without completing the evangelization work. This would be one of the “nobles”. The second is one Galician Padraig, which translates into Patricius in Latin. There are more news about the latter, and over the centuries the two biographies have merged into one. However, it is known that both exist and are not myths.

Padreig was born around 389 and died in 461. He was of Roman-Breton descent. His father, Calpurnio, was a deacon and officer of the Roman army. His mother, Conchesa, was the niece of St. Martin of Tours. His grandfather was a priest. At that time, the law of the celibacy of priests was not yet imposed throughout the West. His life will be heard in confessions (confessions). That is, it is a biography, but it was written centuries later. And in it we heard that he was born in Vannaben de Tavernia.Experts suggest that he could be in Dumbarton or Raven Glass, England, or Brittany or Scotland arer.Some writers suggest that Padraig was his sister at the age of 16, with Darer and Lcaarer, who were his sisters at the age of 16. It reports that he was arrested with two women named upida, but apparently this brotherhood is that they are not his flesh sisters It was because he was a Christian. He was transported to Silva Flo Couti, that is, the 'Forest of Flocut', located near the “West Sea”, where he worked as a shepherd for Miliue de Antrim (also known as Miliuc), who sent him to care for a herd in the nearby Braid Valley for 6 years. The writer Thomas Cahill explains his condition as follows: “The life of a slave pastor was an unfortunate life. Torn from civilization, Patricio (he had already changed his name to a Latin translation) was the only guardian who did not value his life much less than the lives of others. The work of these shepherds was terribly lonely, spent several months alone on the hill, and would have experienced more difficulties with occasional contact... Like many others who were in an unbearable situation, he began to prayer.He did not pay attention to the teachings of his religion, did not believe in God, and knew that the priests were ridiculous, but now there was no one to turn back except the God of his ancestors.”

Apparently, there he learned to speak Irish. And in a dream he decided to escape because he was told that freedom was near and that the ship was waiting for him, and for a few days he walked to the port between Bantry and Wexford, where the captain recognized him and found the ship that arrived at the destination after three days of voyage on the island of Saint Honorat. Since the 5th century, the island has been home to the community of Sito monks. Known by the Romans as Lerina, it was uninhabited until the castle honor established the monastery around 410. There he was baptized and began his journey to the priesthood. He then settled in Auxerre for 15 years and met Bishop San Germanic de Auxerre.

Some historians claim that at that time he had traveled to Rome and that Pope Celestine I was sent to Ireland with a special mission of evangelizing around 423. He was ordained the second bishop of Ireland and left for this land to complete the work of Palladium (1st Patrick). When he arrived in Ireland, he was not welcome. The moment he landed (probably in Wicklow), people were so hostile that they immediately went north. Patrick knew how to speak the Irish language and, equally importantly, he knew his beliefs because he was in captivity. He seemed good at sharing the Christian message so that people could understand and accept it.

It is noteworthy that Patrick knew how to explain the Catechism and how to link it with existing beliefs. Whether or not he used clover leaves to explain what the Trinity was like is no longer an argument. However, he was well aware that in that area he believed in ancestral goddesses such as Eriu, Fodla, Banba. Those were the three aspects of the earth's spirit. Another divine goddess, Brigid, was represented by three sisters who embodied the vitality of healing, creativity, and productivity.The story of Patrick and Clover Leaf reflects a method based on the spiritual and physical aspects they know about Ireland to describe the gospel in familiar terms. “The Trinity is how three leaves form one clover”. Clover became a symbol of Ireland, and green became the national color.

Another story is that thanks to his intervention, with miraculous actions, he put his staff on the ground, and all the snakes inhabiting the island went to the sea and never returned again. His iconography also presents a snake at his feet.However, there were no snakes in Ireland. What the Opians should symbolize is that a pagan was expelled from the island thanks to a sermon. In 440, Patrick embarked on a special mission: the conversion of Ulster. In 444, Daire, the lord of the Earth, gave him to choose from his territory a place that he thought was suitable for his religious purposes. Patrick chose the hill on which the old cathedral of Armagh stood. In Ulster, St. Patrick probably went to Meta to consolidate evangelization. There he continued his journey through Lenster with two of the most prominent companions of St. Aucilius and Isernian.

He continued to visit churches and preach in every province of Ireland until his death. He comforted the faithful who were in need, strengthened them by practicing faith and virtue, and ordained priests and deacons to continue working among them.At the end of his days, Patrick had a vision. He saw the whole of Ireland illuminated by the brightest rays of the Divine Faith, and the angel told him, “The light you lit will never be extinguished.” Patrick died on March 17, 493. Some of the ancient chronicles write that for several days the light of the sky shines around the bed of his morgue and remains obscured for several days without decay. His remains were buried in the fortress of Saul. Currently, Down Patrick's Cathedral is next to St. Patrick's Tomb. At that time, there was a Benedictine monastery built in 1183. The cathedral was built little by little until it was completed in the 19th century. His grave is marked by a simple stone next to the cathedral temple.

And beer? As we all know, Ireland is one of the places where beer is consumed the most. One of the old Lent restrictions was not to drink alcoholic beverages during this period.Therefore, in anticipation of Easter, beer was banned at this special time, unless abstinence was interrupted due to a liturgical holiday. Since St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, it is a holiday, so abstinence was broken on that day and he was able to drink beer. After the religious service, which was early in the morning, a bar was opened, and the Irish were free to rein the taste of this drink.

Many Irish people moved to the United States and settled in New York. All the passionate Catholics built the largest building in that city at the time they saw in the port, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and took this tradition with them.

In 1762, the first “parade” of St. Patrick's Day or St. Patrick's Day was held in New York. Every year on March 17, immigrants gather to remember their land, dressed in green and sing typical songs of the Emerald Isle. The St. Patrick's Cathedral, as we know it today, did not exist, and the “parade” was a walk made by the Irish, singing the ancestral song of the region.

In 1809, the cornerstone of the old St. Patrick's Cathedral was built, and in 1815 it was opened as the highest church in the city at that time. The cathedral became the protagonist of the religious life of the region, and after the Mass it became the backdrop for the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in front of the temple. In 1866 it was a pasture of flames and decided to build a new Midtown Cathedral as we know it today.However, the old cathedral was rebuilt and became a parish church. Patrick's Day and his parade are the biggest holidays in New York City today. This celebration became famous all over the world thanks to American cinema, and today, along with the globalization of customs, this holiday is celebrated by many people from different countries.

Of course... They remember only when the saint gives himself.

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