Celebrate St. Patrick's Day the way it was intended

To The Daily Sun,

With St. Patrick’s day approaching, I was curious as to what the holiday is really celebrating, so I did a little research. The holiday is celebrating the death of St. Patrick, who is believed to have died around 461 A.D.

His name was not Patrick, it was Maewyn Succat, but he later changed his name to Patricius (Patrick), which comes from the Latin term for “father figure,” after becoming a priest. St. Patrick was not Irish, he was born in Roman Britain, and was kidnapped at the age of 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. After 6 years, he escaped, saying God told him to, and walked nearly 200 miles to the Irish coast.

He began religious training, which took more than 15 years, and became a priest. He then returned to Ireland, because God told him to, and converted many of the Irish to Christianity. He explained to them the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), using the shamrock. Up until the late 20th century, it was forbidden, by law, for everything, including pubs, to be open.

So, contrary to popular belief, the holiday has nothing to do with drinking, and is a religious holiday. It’s very sad to see what it has evolved into, and that many people are unaware of what it was meant to be.

I have some Irish heritage, so I will celebrate the holiday, but in the way it was intended, and I encourage others to do the same.

Stephanie Hough

Laconia