To begin with, he was neither a saint nor Irish nor was his name Patrick. These are three of the lies turned into legend about the famous patron saint of Ireland. The falsehood hasn't mattered much when it comes to celebrating his day, March 17, with great fanfare across the globe. From a week before in Dublin, the official birthplace, to New York, Madrid, La Coruña, Chicago, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, or the Caribbean.
As we mentioned, Saint Patrick's real name was not Patrick but Maewyn Succat, a missionary born in Wales or Scotland (not Ireland) who decided to change his name to Patricius when he became a priest. However, he was never canonized by the Catholic Church, so he cannot be considered an official saint, although he is credited with numerous miracles, which is why the Irish people consider him a virtuous figure. Among his feats are, for example, the expulsion of snakes from Ireland (hence the symbol) or the resurrection of a prince.
It is believed that Succat was kidnapped at the age of 16 by pirates who took him to Ireland. During his time as a slave, he learned the local customs. Eventually, he managed to escape to France, where he became a priest, returning to Ireland years later to carry out evangelistic work by building monasteries, churches, and schools throughout the country. Oh, his color was not green, he was known to wear blue robes. However, he did use green shamrocks to preach, as he used them to refer to the mystery of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin is the starting point of the religious route on the island, as it is believed that there was a well there where he baptized pagans who converted to Christianity. However, the cathedral was not such until the year 1200, as before there was only a modest wooden church from the 15th century. The priest died on March 17, 461, in Saul, in County Down (Northern Ireland), and he is buried on Down Hill, one of the main pilgrimage sites related to the saint, where the first church in his honor was erected.
Luke Wadding, an Irish Franciscan friar, fought for that date to become a national holiday. In fact, the first St. Patrick's parade in the country was in 1903 in his hometown, Waterford. In Dublin, it was not celebrated until 1931. Today, it is the country's main festivity, with a festival lasting from the 14th to the 17th of March, offering activities such as music, dance, theater, literature, and gastronomy. The parade on the 17th brings together more than 3,000 people starting at noon. Festivals are also held in cities like Armagh, Sligo, and Belfast, in Northern Ireland, where they even organize a sort of St. Patrick's Day race where runners dress in green. The motto of the celebration in Cork is Marsh, Myth & Magic, while in Waterford, the atmosphere starts from the 13th.
The Spanish origins of the celebrations in honor of St. Patrick date back to the colonial times in St. Augustine, Florida, back then under the Iberian crown. The first parade took place in 1601 by an Irish priest who wanted to ask the saint for a good corn harvest. Spain's Celtic connections also have a strong link to the celebration. This will be the fourth year that the Tourism Office of the Emerald Isle in Spain organizes the Ireland Week in Madrid from the 10th to the 17th of March.
Among the activities carried out are performances of traditional music and dance, Irish film screenings, gastronomic tastings, talks, sports exhibitions, and a few more surprises aimed at bringing the culture and heritage of the Emerald Isle closer. The main day will be Saturday the 14th, when the grand parade will fill Gran Vía with bagpipes and Celtic folklore (from Metropolis building to Plaza de España) with over 600 musicians and 1,200 participants. Additionally, Cibeles Fountain will be lit up in green on the 17th of March, St. Patrick's Day. That will be the color of the churros offered that morning at the famous San Ginés chocolate shop.
The rest of Spain also joins the celebration, with parades and festivities in Granada, Barcelona, Pamplona, Santander, Cáceres, Barcelona, or Cabo Roig, in Orihuela (Alicante). In Albuñol (Granada), Benidorm, or Santa Cruz de la Palma, on the homonymous Canary Island, for example, they parade the saint. In the latter town, they also pay tribute to the figure of the merchant Dionisio O'Daly, born in Cork, who in 1773 contributed to La Palma having the first town hall in Spain elected by popular vote.
In Pontevedra, they also have their share, as from the 18th to the 22nd of March, the 14th edition of the Galaico-Irish Festival of St. Patrick will be celebrated, highlighting the ties that unite Celtic culture through gastronomy, culture, and tourism. The same goes for Tortosa, in Tarragona, where their traditional Tortosa Irish English Festival Opens will take place from the 13th to the 21st of March, an event celebrating Irish culture conducted in English, now in its 13th edition.
Also noteworthy are the events in La Coruña, whose Tower of Hercules will join the list of iconic monuments around the world that are lit up in green for a day in honor of St. Patrick. According to legend, the saint was born here, in the Tower of Breogán. From there, the children of Mil, from whom the first Gaels descended, gazed upon Irish lands and dreamed of crossing the sea to reach Éire (Ireland).
We continue our journey around the rest of the world, as the celebrations take place in places as diverse as Tokyo, Chicago, Montreal, Rio de Janeiro, and Sydney, following in the footsteps of Irish emigrants. It is estimated that more than 80 million people have roots in this country. So it is not surprising that St. Patrick's Day is one of the most important holidays on half the planet.
We start in the United States, where it is a well-established holiday. In fact, the parades as we know them today began in New York, as the many immigrants from the European island wanted to pay tribute to their patron saint in their host country. Thus, in 1762, Fifth Avenue celebrated the first parade with more than 250,000 spectators. This March 17, therefore, will mark its 265th edition, with countless legendary monuments illuminated in green.
There are over a hundred parades across the country, with other iconic locations such as Boston, Washington, Tampa, San Francisco, and Chicago, where even the river of the same name is dyed green. It should be noted that the tradition in the city dates back to 1843, when the first parade took place. In these places, it is also common to eat corned beef and cabbage and the classic Irish stew during this time of year.
In the Japanese capital, on the other hand, there are also all kinds of events where shamrocks, green hats, red beards, and pints of beer take center stage. The big day is Sunday the 15th, when a large parade will be held on Omotesando Avenue, with similar events throughout the country.
March 17 is also a national holiday on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, south of Puerto Rico. An interesting fact: in this little paradise, they stamp your passport with a green shamrock. This is a reminder of the strong ties Ireland has with the island, as this British protectorate served as a refuge for Catholics from the European country. As proof, a census from 1678 certifies that more than half of the population was of Irish origin. Hence the proliferation of surnames such as Allen and Lynch and the existence of places such as Harris Village, Potato Hill, and Cork. These days, the entire island dresses up in green with parades, masked balls, concerts, and a special dinner on the 17th called the Heritage Feast.