The Declaration of Independence was actually issued on the 2nd of July, 1776, but by the time anyone through to commemorate the anniversary in 1777, they were one day too late, so the observance began the following day, July 4th, and has remained as such ever since.
For more information visit: History of the 4th of July
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Comments(0) Who Was St. Patrick? 2
Vision of the Future
After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, a voice-which he believed to be God’s-spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.
To do so, Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the southern Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation-an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary.
Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland, and to begin to convert the Irish more systematically.
This mission contradicts the widely held notion that Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland, but it does show that though there might have been Christians who migrated there, or who converted of their own according, Christianity was by no means spread as widely as it had been in the rest of what had previously been Roman-run Europe.
A man with a mission
Although there were a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, most Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion. The Irish culture centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth.
Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs.
For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter, since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish.
He used many of the feast days of the Druid calendar in his own rituals, and gradually won them over. Due to the Irish love of myth and superstition, it is no wonder that Patrick himself became the stuff of legend.
But it is clear that his legacy lives on even after 1500 years, for due to his own work and that of the saint whom he trained, for example, Brendan, the Irish monastic tradition took firm root in Ireland, and from there spread to every corner of the known world.
Comments(0) St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity’s most widely known and celebrated saints. But for all his fame, his life remains somewhat of a mystery.
Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling. So what to we really know about St. Patrick?
Enslaved By Irish Raiders
It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. His name would have been Patricius, neaming Patrician or noble in Latin.
Although his father was a Christian deacon of the early Church in Britain, it has been suggested that he probably took on the role because of the tax regulations of the time, and there is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family.
At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family’s estate from the coast. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. Slave trading was common in the period, with them being seen as trophies of war.
St Patrick’s first stay in Ireland lasted six years, with various theories as to where he was taken. Although many believe he was taken to live in Mount Slemish in County Antrim, it is land-locked. So it is more likely that he was held in County Mayo near Killala, on the west coast of Ireland which the raiders would have used as their base of operations.
During his captivity, Patrick worked as a shepherd or a swineherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.
Comments(0) Our talented authors are also great cooks!
Why not try some more terrific new recipes for St. Patrick’s Day?
More Quick and Easy St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
As with the first book, Quick and Easy St. Patrick’s Day Recipes, you get 20 recipes, for one low price, plus 2 surprise bonus recipes you won’t want to miss.
Comments(0) Our talented authors are also great cooks!
Why not try some terrific new recipes for St. Patrick’s Day?
Quick and Easy St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
Plan a delicious feast for the whole family without breaking the bank.
Comments(0) Here at HerStory Books, many of our writers are Irish, or live in Ireland. To celebrate the joys of St. Patrick’s Day, why not have a look at all the great Irish-based romances we have here at the site:
From modern Irish romance, to Regency, to Paranormal romance, if you love Ireland and Irish romance novels, you will love these books.
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