It has come to that time of year when you can’t go into any bar in the world without seeing images of shamrocks, leprechauns and Guinness promotions! However Saint Patrick’s Day is much more than that.
Saint Patrick wasn’t in fact Irish he was a Welshman who had been captured by Irish raiders and for six years he lived as a slave. Luckily he managed to escape and returned to Wales where he entered the church, soon after he returned to Ireland as a missionary.
It is widely believed that Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, in reality Christianity had already arrived and there were already small Christian communities in what was a predominately pagan island. As Patrick had lived in Ireland he understood the language and culture and many believe much of his success as a missionary was his ability to combine Christian teachings and traditional Irish beliefs. The afore-mentioned shamrocks are an example of this; he used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.
Today Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated throughout the world by those of Irish (and non-Irish) descent. In London, on Sunday 15th, at noon there will be a parade starting in Piccadilly, moving onto Regents Street, Trafalgar Square and finishing in Whitehall. The festivities will continue all day in Trafalgar Square where you can see a showcase of Irish culture.
At the Rembrandt our head chef has put together a special menu of some of the most wholesome Irish dishes and there is also a promotion on your favourite Irish drinks at the bar!
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