St. Patrick’s Day activities

Enjoy this fun YouTube video with your child. Then talk about the following questions…

• Why was St. Patrick’s Day celebrated in the beginning?
• What does the shamrock stand for?
• Did St. Patrick really chase the snakes out of Ireland?
• Why do people eat cabbage and potatoes on St. Patrick’s Day?
• What is a leprechaun?

St. Patrick  was kidnapped from his home in Scotland when he was only 16 and taken to Ireland to work as a slave. He became a Christian, escaped from his captors in Ireland, and became a Catholic monk in a monastery. Eventually he returned to Ireland to bring Christianity to the people. He established many schools and monasteries across the country of Ireland. St. Patrick used the shamrock as a symbol to teach the trinity (God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit).

As far as the snakes go, there are many folktales about St. Patrick and the snakes. In reality, Ireland is on an island that never had snakes. Some maintain that the snakes were symbolic of evil spirits that were defeated when people became Christians.

Most of the other symbols associated with St. Patrick’s Day are based on Ireland’s history and are not directly related to St. Patrick. Cabbage and potatoes are symbolic of the potato famine and the poverty the Irish endured for several decades. Corned beef is a cheaper cut of beef, symbolizing the many years of poverty endured by the Irish. The leprechauns are mythological creatures supposed to have magical powers.

Click on this link to find a variety of activities and games about St. Patrick’s Day.

For more information about St. Patrick’s Day and Ireland, consider the following links:

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/st-patricks-day/about.html

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/topstories/x1777804440/Primer-on-Patron-Patrick-The-tradition-behind-St-Patricks-Day

http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/ (Very long but thorough history of the Irish and the potato famine.)