St. Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated in the US – and it’s done for Fun! It’s a nod to the Irish culture from people of all backgrounds. We love the parades, the shamrocks, and the good time that comes along with March 17th, so – let’s begin with a moment of AMS Fun!
March 14th is the St. Patrick’s Day Gold Coin Challenge at AMS. First a joke … Why do leprechauns recycle? Answer: They like to GO GREEN!!
Now here’s the FUN: In each facility, twelve gold coins will be placed in spots where a lucky employee can find them. When you find the gold coin, you will see there’s a number in your coin. Hold on to it!! Winning Tickets will be pulled for each facility and the lucky employee with that number will win a trip to the AMS Prize Room. What’s in the Prize Room? Some seriously nice prizes – choose one and take it home! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
How did this commemoration begin?
St. Patrick’s Day was originally an Irish religious holiday, celebrating the life of the man who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland, or teaching Christianity, Saint Patrick. Who was he, how did he become legendary… these things would be interesting to know. Also, how did the shamrocks and the leprechauns come into the picture?
Who was St. Patrick?
From USA Today [LINK] we see the answer: “Saint Patrick wasn’t Irish – he was born in Britain near the end of the fourth century and was taken prisoner by Irish raiders when he was 16. He spent six years in captivity in Ireland, according to the History Channel, where he eventually became a devout Christian.
“According to Patrick’s writing, he believed God’s voice spoke to him in a dream and told him to leave Ireland – and he escaped. Later in another dream, he wrote an angel told him to return to Ireland as a missionary, and he became a priest after 15 years of study.
“While many believe St. Patrick was responsible for bringing Christianity to Ireland, the History Channel reports his mission was to minister to existing Irish Christians as well as convert non-Christians.
“He became a significant figure in Ireland in part because he chose to incorporate traditional Irish culture and ritual into his practice, like merging the sun (an existing Irish symbol) with the traditional cross to create the famed Celtic cross.”
The Shamrocks
Okay – there we see St. Patrick either brought Christianity or taught Christianity, and he incorporated existing culture into the practice of Christianity, creating the Celtic cross. Our next question is about the shamrocks – what is the meaning of this symbol?
“Legend and tradition state that the shamrock was a vital part of St. Patrick’s teachings. He used its three rounded leaves growing on a single stem as a natural symbol simplify the concept of the Trinity. It is also said that the deep green color of the shamrock, which became Ireland’s emblem, cancels out the superstition that it is bad luck to wear green.”
The article goes on to ask about the plant. That question has been up for debate. We most likely believe it is clover but what type of clover. We have the ground-hugging clover in the garden, but there also is a white clover listed in some seed catalogs as the true shamrock. And there is a yellow clover. And another choice as well: “Some claim another member of the pea family as the real shamrock. Oxalis acetosella, also known as wood sorrel and shamrock, has large clover shaped green leaves, much bigger than the unrelated clover you see growing in a lawn or hayfield. There are many varieties of Oxalis, but the one most commonly sold as houseplants have lovely tiny, fragrant, white flowers.”
We may never know which plant, but what is the meaning? It’s not the ‘good luck’ symbol, as that is four leaves, and the shamrock has three.
Google gives it the meaning of Faith, Hope and Love, and leaves room for the good luck: “While trying to convert the Irish into Christians, St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the holy trinity with each leaf representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three leaves of a shamrock are also said to stand for faith, hope and love. A fourth leaf is where we get the luck from.”
Now let’s look for Leprechauns
According to the USA Today article, a Disney movie and breakfast cereal is what associated the Leprechaun with the celebration of Irish culture on St. Patrick’s Day. “The leprechaun came from the idea that the Celtics believed in fairies and other magical beings that use their powers to scare away evil. It is presumed that the association came from the popular 1959 Disney movie “Darby O’Gill & the Little People,” which features Irish leprechauns, says Stack. Stack also attributes Lucky Charms as a way the leprechaun got popularized in the USA.”
To AMS Clients, Employees, and all readers – we hope you have some St. Patrick’s Day FUN on the 17th, and for our employees… we wish you luck finding that gold coin with a prize ticked inside!!
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