St. Patrick's Day E-cards
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Fun and cute Saint Patrick's Day cards and ecards celebrate the festive holiday that March 17th has become over the past fifteen hundred centuries. At one time, the date was a religious commemoration honoring the fifth century missionary to Ireland who, according to legend, rid the island of all its snakes. Today, especially in the United States, it is mostly symbolized by shamrocks, leprechauns, wearing of the green, and clever Irish sayings. A simple internet search brings up a multitude of sites offering St Patricks Day ecards that can be personalized and emailed to family and friends.
The origins of St. Patrick's Day go back into the mists of time. A sixteen-year-old British boy was kidnapped from his wealthy family's estate by Irish raiders. For six years, he worked as a shepherd. Historians believe that he turned to God during this lonely time in the young boy's life. In his writings, Patrick tells about visions he had of God talking to him. At God's direction, Patrick escaped his captors and returned to Britain. He spent several years in religious study, but followed God's voice again, returning to Ireland as a missionary. Though he was probably not the first Christian to serve as a missionary to the island, the saint is credited with being influential in replacing the ancient pagan traditions with the truth of Christianity. Sending Saint Patrick's Day cards with a Christian emphasis is a great way of honoring the origins of the holiday.
St. Patrick wrote a spiritual autobiography called Confessio and another work titled Epistola in which he denounced the British treatment of Irish Christians. A popular legend is that the saint stood on top of a hill, now called Croagh Patrick, and sent all the island's snakes into the sea. Historians pretty much agree that there weren't any snakes to be driven out of Ireland. However, it's likely that the pagans included a serpent in their worship as the serpent symbol is common in pagan tradition. Historians interpret the legend as symbolizing the removal of pagan worship from the land. The famed missionary is believed to have died on March 17 in approximately 460 A.D. Though it may be possible to find St Patricks Day ecards that depict the missionary's legendary deed, other symbols are more representative of the holiday's cultural heritage.
Leprechauns and four-leaf clovers are popular icons on Saint Patrick's Day cards. In Celtic folklore, leprechauns are cranky tricksters responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies. The word comes from "lobaircio" which means "small-bodied fellow." Though these guardians of the treasure at rainbow's end have a long history in folklore, their association with the March 17th holiday seems to be much more modern. Apparently, the wee green-clad fellows didn't become associated with the holiday until after the premiere of the Walt Disney classic, Darby O'Gill and the Little People.
Shamrocks, called "seamroy" or "little clover" by the Celts, often grace St Patricks Day ecards, party invitations, clothing, and other items associated with celebrating the day. It's thought that St. Patrick used the clover to teach the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. On a three-leaf clover, each leaf stood for a different person in the Godhead: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. On four-leaf shamrocks, the fourth leaf stands for God's grace. The leaves are also said to symbolize faith, hope, love, and luck. This representation is reminiscent of the apostle Paul's words to the Corinthian church: "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity" (1 Corinthians 13:13). In time, the shamrock became a sacred symbol of the rebirth of spring and, later, a good luck symbol that keeps away evil spirits. By the seventeenth century, the shamrock represented Irish pride in their heritage and opposition to British rule.
Irish immigrants observed March 17th as an important day as early as 1737 in Boston. Irish soldiers in the English military marched in the first American parade in New York City in 1762 (before the United States was formed). The parade is now recognized as the both the oldest civilian parade and the largest in the United States. The modern New York City parades last over five hours and have over a hundred thousand participants. Since 1962, the residents of the Windy City have celebrated March 17th by putting green dye into the Chicago River. Historically, the holiday in Ireland has been a day of spiritual renewal and prayer for worldwide missionaries. Most businesses close and people usually attend mass in the morning and celebrate with parades later in the day. To attract tourists and showcase Irish heritage, Dublin now holds a multi-day Saint Pat's Festival with parades, concerts, and fireworks. More businesses stay open now than did in the past to cater to the celebrants.
March 17th is no longer just for the Irish. People from all nationalities enjoy sending and receiving Saint Patrick's Day cards, dressing up in green so as not to get pinched, baking shamrock-shaped cookies, attending parades and parties, and enjoying traditional Irish cuisine, such as corned beef and cabbage. Anyone can wear a "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" button or t-shirt; it seems that on this one day everyone is an honorary leprechaun. Sending St Patricks Day ecards is especially easy. Greeting card websites offer all kinds of choices including free ones with animation and music. With a few clicks of the mouse, family and friends, whether Irish or not, can know they're in the sender's thoughts.
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