Since I really had no idea who St. Patrick was or why we have a beer-drinking, corned beef-eating, green ensemble-wearing holiday such as we do, I though I would do a little research on the guy. He must have been important, right?
We all know that St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day started as purely a Christian observance holiday, then was developed into a feast holiday, and today is celebrated by Irish descendants world-wide.
I was surprised to find that St Patrick wasn't Irish at all. St. Patrick was born into a Roman-British family in the early 400's AD with the birth name, Maewyn. He was given his Christian name of Patrick when he entered the priesthood later in life. He was captured by Irish raiders and taken into slavery at the age of 16. After six years he was able to escape and he fled to France where he joined the Church and studied to be a priest. I suppose if one was held captive by the Irish for six years, one wouldn’t be too eager to return - however in 432 AD Patrick returned to Ireland as a bishop and spent 30 years teaching God's word. During that time, St. Patrick was successful in converting a large number of Irish citizens to Christianity. The Irish were certainly thankful for Patrick’s forgiveness of their sins; in return they dubbed him a saint and declared March 17th an official holiday in remembrance.
Originally St. Patrick was associated with the color blue, however over the years the transition has been to green, mainly due to the shamrock. The wearing of the shamrock is a Christian tradition. It is said that St. Patrick used the shamrock as a teaching example to explain the Holy Trinity - the father, son and Holy Spirit. Today, whether Irish or not, green is a customary color worn, along with shamrock pins, beaded necklaces, painted faces and Leprechaun hats. It's like NFL fans all rooting for the same team.
Starting in the 1600's, March 17th became a day that Irish Christians could take a break from fasting during the 40 days of lent. They were allowed one day to feast and drink alcohol. Over the centuries, St Paddy observers took the allowance of food and drink to another level, and the day has evolved to include parades, pub events and outrageous green attire. In 1931 the first St. Patrick's Day parade was held in Dublin. Today New York City hosts one of the largest St. Patrick's Day parades in the world. Chicago even goes so far to dye the Chicago River green. The premise of St Patrick's Day has become: if you are Irish, show your pride...if you aren't, join in the fun anyways.
Green Beer and Irish Stout
Green beer is a popular drink on St. Patrick's Day, a way to truly show your spirit. I'm not sure what I think of green beer, it just doesn't look right. Many bars and pubs offer a special green beer on their menu during the week of St. Patrick’s Day. Often just a drop or two of food coloring in a light colored lager is all they do to market a St. Paddy worthy beverage. Beware of green teeth if you have one too many!
A good Irish stout is another widely consumed beverage on March 17th. Dublin-brewed Guinness is by far the most popular and well known choice. Guinness is a “dry Irish stout,” but other types of stouts to sample include imperial stouts, sweet milk stouts, oatmeal stouts and a close cousin to the stout, the porter. British brewed Young's makes an amazing Double Chocolate Stout that you can usually find at higher end supermarkets like Haggen, Top Foods and Whole Foods. Also British brewers, Samuel Smith makes an Oatmeal Stout, an Extra Stout - which is a dry style stout, a 7% abv Imperial Stout and a Taddy Porter.
If you want to really get festive, ask your friendly bartender to whip up an Irish Car Bomb. Half a pint of Guinness and a shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream mixed with Jamison Irish Whisky. Simply drop the shot in the pint glass and chug. They are dangerously delicious, so make sure to pace yourself!
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