Everything is washed in a tint of green. Girls have painted shamrocks on their faces, cheers erupt and foamy green beer is guzzled by the pint.
St. Patrick's Day is a well-loved and anticipated holiday, especially by college students eager for an opportunity to celebrate. But the history of St. Patrick's Day is deeply rooted in legend and Irish tradition.
The holiday is in honor of the historical figure, St. Patrick. For Patrick, who was actually born in Britain, Christianity was "most important," Ball State history professor Fred Suppe said. His faith was the cornerstone for his life's work.
St. Patrick spent many of his days writing a sort of spiritual biography. This is where a lot of what is known about Patrick is found, according to Suppe.
One of the accounts in his work, "The Confession of St. Patrick," describes his kidnapping at the age of sixteen. Irish raiders invaded the area where Patrick lived and kidnapped him, along with others. The victims were taken to Ireland where they were forced to work as slaves. Patrick's "Confession" describes the fear and turmoil he felt from the experience.
Patrick was held captive there for about six years. One night, he had a dream where God told him to leave Ireland. So, he walked miles on miles to the coast of Ireland to find a ship mysteriously waiting. After shipwrecks and struggles, Patrick finally made his way back home to his family.
Not long after, Patrick had another "dream from God," this time taking him back to Ireland. He believed God called him to be a missionary to the "ignorant" Irish.
According to Suppe, this is where the legend of St. Patrick "chasing the snakes out of Ireland" comes in. The "snakes" are a metaphor for the non-Christian ignorance of the Irish natives.
Within the span of a century, Ireland was transformed into a Christian nation due to Patrick and his followers. From that moment, Patrick was honored as a saint.
Over a thousand years later, when Great Britain took control of Ireland, the Irish searched for a way to preserve their heritage.
Ideas of symbols such as shamrocks and the color green came to mind; so did their national hero, St. Patrick.
"They wanted to have symbols of what it means to be Irish," Suppe said.
In the late 1800s, the Irish convinced the British government to make the death date of St. Patrick a national holiday.
When the potato famine sent Irish immigrants to America in the early 20th century, they brought with them their strong sense of Irish pride. In this new country, "they still thought of themselves as Irish" and "missed Ireland," according to Suppe.
To celebrate their heritage, immigrants in larger cities such as Boston and New York began to throw large parades.
With the spread of technology and through the use of television, these St. Patrick's Day celebrations were seen nationwide and sparked excitement in non-Irish Americans.
Americans, as a melting pot of races, "enjoyed somebody else's heritage," Suppe said. They embraced the Irish "spirit."
To this day, Americans of all cultural backgrounds revel in the festivities. The concept of Irish hospitality is very evident in the celebrations. It joins people together; whether it be through storytelling, sharing a drink or seeing the parade pass by.
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