Let’s celebrate Ireland, shall we? St. Patrick’s Day is a festival denoting paramount spiritual and cultural significance for the Irish people.
Dive right into it as we explore the importance of St. Patrick’s Day and its spiritual meaning.
What is St. Patrick’s Day and When It is Celebrated?
St. Patrick’s Day is commemorated on March 17th, marking the death anniversary of Saint Patrick (c. 385 – c. 461), Ireland’s patron saint.
A cultural and religious holiday on the day of his death, people don green attires, conduct parades, and eat and drink Irish delicacies and beverages (the most popular being Irish beer).
St. Patrick was the Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland, credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland.
Word has it that he was abducted at the age of 16 but succeeded in escaping his confinement.
Afterwards, he returned in 432 CE to convert Ireland to Christianity. Fascinating, isn’t it?
In remembrance of the esteemed saint, Irish people all over the world and some other countries celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
St Patrick’s Day Spiritual Meaning
St. Patrick was a devout believer who devoted his entire life to Christianity.
The day to celebrate him – St. Patrick’s Day – denotes many spiritual meanings.
1) Hope
By bringing the religion to pagan Ireland, St. Patrick gave them a new hope for life, which was once meaningless and lacked the spiritual faith that binds them to each other and to God.
It is, thus, only natural to associate St. Patrick’s Day with hope; St. Patrick enlisted hope in the Irish people for a better life.
Ever seen a rainbow on St. Patrick’s Day?
Well, if you have, you are in for a hopeful future!
Rainbows represent God’s promise to never flood the earth again, as He did in Noah’s story quoted in Genesis.
The flood had destroyed the earth, and the rainbow appeared after it as a symbol of the water receding and God’s promise to never induce such a catastrophe again.
Rain is, thus, a symbol of hope after a dark time, taking you towards a brighter future.
Leprechauns are another symbol of hope on St. Patrick’s Day.
Just like you can catch a leprechaun and reverse your unfortunate situation through its wealth, St. Patrick’s Day promises hope for a better future after having suffered adversaries.
2) New beginnings
St. Patrick’s Day marks a new beginning and another chapter in your life.
Dated on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day is practically the advent of spring.
Spring symbolizes rebirth, regeneration, and new beginnings.
New flowers and plants emerge, and fresh crops are harvested; it essentially symbolizes new beginnings.
Shamrocks, the national flower of Ireland and symbolic of St. Patrick’s Day, also bloom in early spring, adding to the symbolism of new beginnings on St. Patrick’s Day.
Green is the color of nature, and nature is brought to life in spring; green marks the new beginning of life.
The rainbow is also another symbol of a new beginning.
The appearance of a rainbow after rain marks a new beginning and hope.
3) Faith
St. Patrick was an irrevocably pious man.
His faith, dedication, and spiritual belief are noteworthy.
With holiness virtually emanating from this staunch man, what better day to reinforce your spiritual faith than St. Patrick’s Day – the day devoted to commemorating his pious conviction?
That’s right. St. Patrick’s Day is symbolic of fortifying your devout faith.
Just like St. Patrick, you should have faith in God.
God will always be with you, provide for you, and never leave you alone, no matter how thorny the circumstances.
4) Love
Love yourself and love the people around you.
That’s one of the mottos of the Holy Trinity.
Adore and care for others like St. Patrick, who deeply cherished the Irish people.
Without this love, he would never have come to pour his knowledge and wisdom of the Holy Trinity into the Irish people.
He profoundly cared for the Irish people’s livelihood and spiritual faith.
Like his adoring love, you, too, should aim to love the people around you – family, relatives, friends, neighbors, and even strangers.
Care for them as you would care for yourself. St. Patrick’s Day reminds you to love and spread your love to others like St. Patrick did.
5) Forgiveness
Forgiveness is another emblem of the Holy Trinity and, thus, St. Patrick.
This devout man never harbored any negative feelings for anyone and forgave them for their wrongdoings against him.
St. Patrick’s Day reminds you that, like him, you, too, should try to forgive others if they have wronged you.
Forgiveness gives you peace of mind; further, by not fostering unfavorable emotions in your heart, you are spiritually free of pessimism.
You are also getting closer to God. Killing two birds with one stone, who doesn’t want that?
6) Gratitude
Gratitude towards God for all his provisions in life is another virtue that St. Patrick’s Day reminds you of.
As a devout believer, St. Patrick was always extremely grateful to God for all His blessings – clothing, food, home, physical and mental health, and whatnot.
You are reminded on this auspicious day to be grateful to God for everything He has granted you.
7) Community
Humans are one whole community who should stick together, love each other, and provide support in times of need.
St. Patrick’s Day is a prompt cue to remember this fact and embrace others in an event that celebrates its very essence.
In this celebration, people party as one community, thereby strengthening their togetherness.
Is St. Patrick’s Day a Day of good luck?
Yes, it is a good luck day. Ever felt Lady Luck shining on you on St. Patrick’s specifically?
If you did, it might be time to start believing in the myth of good luck on that day. That’s right.
There is a profound belief of good luck associated with that celebrated day.
St. Patrick cast out all the snakes in Ireland using his divine power and benevolence.
The exile of snakes – a poisonous animal – is considered a token of good luck. Then comes the shamrock.
A three-leafed clover native to Ireland, the shamrock is a significant expression of good luck on that day.
St. Patrick used the shamrock to advocate the teachings of The Holy Trinity (the belief in God’s presence in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit).
Wearing the shamrock on St. Patrick’s Day is notably symbolic of good luck.
However, finding a shamrock is rare; thus, all the more reason why great luck is associated with finding and wearing it.
People also get a shamrock tattoo on their arms or paint it on their faces.
Now you know why so many people are adorned with shamrock on St. Patrick’s Day!
Another interesting element that contributes to good luck on St. Patrick’s Day is the leprechauns.
Irish folklore declares that if you catch a leprechaun, it will reveal its hidden treasures to you.
Getting your hands on their treasure will reverse your poor living conditions; thus, it is another symbol of good luck.
Of course, whether you can actually catch one is another matter.
What are the important symbols and their meanings St. Patrick’s Day?
Symbolism and St. Patrick’s Day go hand in hand.
After all, how is it possible for religious and cultural festivals to be without their associated symbolism?
The important symbols and their meaning are:
The Shamrock
Native to Ireland, the shamrock is a three-leafed plant.
St. Patrick used the shamrock to impart the wisdom and knowledge of the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish locals.
With such deeply intertwined religious connotations, the shamrock is an irrevocably significant symbol of Christian faith.
People adorn themselves with the shamrock as a symbol of faith.
The color green
A symbolic color of Ireland due to its viridescent lush landscape, green is joyfully worn on St. Patrick’s Day.
Nature’s green color is also symbolic of rebirth and growth; green marks the advent of spring with all the regeneration of plants and flowers.
Thus, it is only natural to wear the symbolic green color on a symbolic day.
What’s more! The shamrock is also green.
The Leprechaun
The tiny mythical fairies in Irish folklore are called leprechauns.
Dressed in green attires, they own pots of gold and are very wealthy.
Catching a leprechaun will give you ownership of its wealth.
Talk about a stroke of luck!
And it is precisely this aspect that makes them symbolic of St. Patrick’s Day.
Like them, your chance may be just around the corner, a reward from your Lord for bearing all the hardships set in your way thus far.
Thus, leprechauns reinforce your faith in God.
Also, read the meaning of feeling vibrations in your body.
5 Superstitions About Saint Patrick’s Day
Besides its spiritual connotations, St. Patrick’s Day is marked with a number of superstitions as well.
1) Wearing green protects you against leprechauns’ pranks
Despite being wealthy, leprechauns are actually very naughty and mischievous.
If they find anyone not wearing green, they will unleash their pinching attacks on that individual.
It is said that donning green makes you invisible to them. Interesting, isn’t it?
So the next time you attend St. Patrick’s Day, be sure to be covered in green from head to toe.
2) Finding the shamrock denotes good luck
Shamrocks are rare; nevertheless, they were the plant used by St. Patrick to impart his knowledge of Christianity to the Irish people.
Therefore, finding and wearing a shamrock on this auspicious day is a sign of good luck.
3) Kissing the Blarney Stone will give you oratory talent
Situated in the Blarney Castle, Ireland, the Blarney Stone is a limestone block.
There is profound superstition that kissing this block will grant you an eloquent oratory talent.
So, whoever desires eloquence, be sure to kiss the Blarney Stone on St. Patrick’s Day!
4) Drinking a pint of Guinness will earn you prosperity
Guinness is an Irish beer, traditionally drunk on St. Patrick’s Day.
So, what’s its significance?
Well, it is said that it is the drink of prosperity, especially if you drink a pint (one-eighth of a gallon) of Guinness; good luck and a prosperous future awaits you!
5) Seeing a rainbow means wealth is awaiting you
Witnessing a rainbow is no simple matter on St. Patrick’s Day.
Why?
Well, if you have seen it, it means that you will receive a pot of gold in the immediate future.
Tempting, isn’t it?
The Meaning behind the St. Patricks Day Festivities
St. Patrick’s Day is not merely about the festive celebration; the music, dancing, food, and parades are all traditions of Irish culture, but that is not all there is to it.
This day commemorates St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
All the traditions on this day are thus associated with him, and the traditional myths of Ireland, which he loved so much.
The shamrock is the plant he used to teach the Irish people about Christianity, thus its significance in terms of good luck.
The leprechauns, green clothing, rainbows, and pots of gold are all Irish folklore.
All of these elements and the superstitions associated with them hold spiritual significance.
They reinforce people’s beliefs and spiritual faith.
Patricks Day History
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated all over the world, but how did such a festive day come about?
Belonging to the 5th century, St. Patrick was a Romano-British Christian missionary.
For bringing Christianity to Ireland, he is reverently called the “Apostle of Ireland”. However, his life wasn’t an easy one.
Kidnapped at the tender age of 16, he was sold as a slave to Ireland.
Undergoing six whole years of slavery molded him into the great person he came to be.
He escaped his imprisonment and returned to Britain.
Afterward, he returned to pour his knowledge and wisdom of Christianity to educate pagan Ireland.
He came to Ireland in 432 AD and, for 30 years, devoted his life and time to the Irish people, preaching about his beloved religion and succeeding in his mission.
With his arduous and fruitful efforts for the Irish people, they celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th worldwide.
Before leaving, read the meaning of the black heart.
Final words
St. Patrick’s Day is an auspicious occasion for Irish people worldwide.
It marks the death anniversary of their beloved patron saint, St. Patrick, who brought Christianity to Ireland.
This day holds significant spiritual importance for the Irish people.
The shamrock, leprechauns, green clothing, rainbow, and pots of gold are all elements of their spiritual faith and Irish folklore that binds them together.
