The 17th of March is recognised and celebrated around most of the world as St Patrick's Day. The day that St Patrick came to Ireland, introduced Christianity and chased all of the snakes out of the country. As a child, we got the day off school, we would go to town to watch the Parade, which consisted mainly of tractors with Irish flags on them and then it was off to climb Croghan Hill. A hill that Patrick visited, back in the day and opened a wee church round the back of it. I come from flat bogland, this hill could be seen from miles around. It was a great day out, great craic.
As I got older, I began to realise how much it was celebrated around the world, because us Irish have been known to travel far and wide and set up homes, in all corners of the world. So St Patrick's Day, was warmly embraced. An excuse to celebrate everything Irish (which, let's face it, is a lot) and to get roaring drunk. I love Irish music, there is nothing better than getting to experience a Trad session in a pub, which then results in a lock in The music, the singing, the dancing and the reciting of poetry, it all happens. It's something I miss living in Spain.
I'm all about every country celebrating their culture, I just wish that it was always tied into oppression. St Patrick, signifies the last of the old ways, of Earth Based spirituality leaving Ireland. St Patrick's mission in Ireland was to Christianize Ireland. To replace all of the existing beliefs and traditions, with Christianity. Those who resisted where killed. There are records of Women being pushed off some of the cliffs, because they refused to convert.
Many believe, myself included, that St Patrick's act of driving the snakes from Ireland, is symbolic of attempting to rid the Land of it's pagan past. A more spiritual way of being, connected to the seasons, the land, connected with the ancient wisdom. To instead bring in religion. It worked, to a degree, but Ireland held fast to it's celebration of The Feminine, the Goddess. They were unwilling to let go of the great Mother, so much so, that it is Mary, that you will see at outdoor shrines in Ireland and not figures of Jesus.
Lots of Druids, became monks rather than face death. Some of them, travelled abroad, creating some beautiful scriptures, that contain a lot of ancient symbolism, tied in with the old ways. But being sold as Christian scriptures.
I was in my twenties, when I learned the true history of St Patrick and I stopped celebrating it. How twisted that the one day, that Ireland and everything Irish is celebrated, is in the name of a man, that brought Christianity to Ireland. A religion that severed the connection with nature, suppressing the feminine. Oppressing women, demonising them. So today, I choose to celebrate snakes.
All photos used in this post are my own.
