Mar 06 2009
St. Patrick: Hero or Villain?
On March 17th, many Irish and people of Irish descent celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Like anything both religious and Irish, there’s bound to be controversy surrounding the holiday, and talk about St. Patrick’s day in pagan communities is no exception.
In my opinion, Irish heritage is rich for several reasons. Primary among those reasons is that Irish culture is a true blend of politics, religion, the arts, history, spirituality, and mythology all blended together. I believe it’s a fact that religions in Ireland have blended together, and that Irish Catholicism is very distinct.
I’m not saying that the Irish and the Irish diaspora necessarily consider fae folk as part of a historical record, but history and legends certainly intertwine with tales of the Milesians and the Fir Bolg.
I’ve known many pagans proudly of Irish descent. Some of them were raised Christian, and others or not–but each has his or her own view on St. Patrick’s Day.
The views:
- Some pagans consider St. Patrick’s Day outright offensive. St. Patrick, historically, converted Ireland to Catholicism.
- Others consider St. Patrick’s Day a matter of heritage, particularly in America. It’s more about Irish pride than religious pride. (In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is more of a religious holiday, though the American tradition of partying for pride is certainly crossing the pond nowadays.)
- Some pagans question but do not criticize St. Patrick for his method of conversion (of which there is not a large historical record). Irish Catholicism, even today, includes many pagan elements and figures that are now regarded of saints, such as Brighid or St. Bridget.
I personally celebrate St. Patrick’s Day as a matter of pride. I feel comforted that Catholicism has embraced the trinity into its folds, though I do not see it as a male concept (father/son/ghost) but as a female concept (maiden/mother/crone).
If there is any doubt about the acceptance of St. Patrick’s Day, one could always consider asking a Protestant–many of whom believe adding saints to a religious order prevents Catholics from following Jesus’ request to worship no other.
Here are some opinions for your consideration. Feel free to post more below.
- Should Pagans Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? by Sarra Barton
- From There to Here: Pagans Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
- Child of the Earth: Why Pagans Don’t Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
What do you think about St. Patrick’s Day? Do you celebrate it or not? Do you have a non-pagan perspective on this?
This is one ol’ witch who traditionally celebrates almost every “holiday” in one way or another. Around here, Irish heritage notwithstanding, about the only thing goin’ on on St. Paddy’s day is pinches and corned beef n cabbage. These are what the holiday means to our family. My daughter was raised to know the truth of St. Paddy driving the “snakes” from Ireland but it’s a great excuse to cook n eat the corned beef that’s on sale the week before.
I think that most so called “holy days” have been watered down, distorted and/or commercialized all to hell here in the melting pot of religions and ethnicities that is the US anyway. In our many years of pagan living we have created our own family traditions of them and enjoy many a holiday from many sources in our own ways.
Peace!