圣帕特里克节

【前言】圣帕特里克节由文秘帮小编整理而成，但愿对你的学习工作带来帮助。Patrick was already familiar with Irish culture and this aided him greatly in his mission. Instead of trying to eradicate the native customs of pre-Christian Ireland, Patrick adapted Christianity to the pagan beliefs of the Irish. A lasting innovat...

St. Patrick: The Man and the Myth

St. Patrick is one of the better known Christian saints and the patron saint of Ireland. But who was he really? A lot of stories about St. Patrick and his life are the stuff of myth and legend. It is commonly told that St. Patrick banished all snakes from Ireland and that he introduced Christianity to the Irish, thereby civilizing them and changing their lawless ways.

In fact, there was never any species of snake in Ireland. If St. Patrick ever actually claimed to have expelled all the snakes from Ireland, he must have been the only one who saw them! The claim that he introduced Christianity to Ireland is also false. Although, at the time St. Patrick ①set foot on Irish shores, most Irish were pagans, there was a small minority of Christians on the island.

The facts are a little less colourful but interesting, nonetheless. Patrick was born to wealthy parents in Britain sometime towards the end of the 4th Century and died on March 17th, 460 A.D. At the age of 16, he was taken captive by Irish bandits who were raiding his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he was sold into slavery and spent six years as a shepherd on a lonely mountain.

It was during this time that he started to have visions. At the age of 22 God spoke to him in a dream and told him to leave Ireland. He escaped from his captors, walked over 300km to the eastern coast of Ireland and made it back to Britain. He continued to be guided by divine visions, which led him to pursue 15 years of religious training and return to Ireland to convert Irish pagans to Christianity.

Patrick was already familiar with Irish culture and this aided him greatly in his mission. Instead of trying to eradicate the native customs of pre-Christian Ireland, Patrick adapted Christianity to the pagan beliefs of the Irish. A lasting innovation of his, and a powerful symbol of Christian Ireland, is the Celtic cross. He combined the traditional Christian cross with a circle to represent the sun, amalgamating Christian and pagan symbols.

Irish culture centres on a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. When this is considered, it is no surprise that the story of Patrick's life became exaggerated over centuries of storytelling-spinning exciting tales to remember history has always been a part of the Irish way of life.

The Holiday

In Ireland, St. Patrick's Day is a national holiday and has been celebrated for over a thousand years. Traditionally, Irish people would attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon and evening. On this day, it is custom to wear something green (the national colour) and pin a bunch of shamrocks (the national flower even if it is actually a plant) to one's coat. Some people will also wear a badge in the shape of a golden harp (Ireland's national emblem). After attending a colourful parade the rest of the day is spent drinking and dancing!

In past years, the religious element of St. Patrick's Day was heavily emphasized in Ireland. However, in the last twenty years religious devotion has decreased dramatically in Ireland and this has changed the nature of the festival. Accordingly, from the 1990's the Irish government began a campaign to use St. Patrick's Day to boost tourism and showcase Ireland to the rest of the world. Last year, close to one million people took part in Ireland's St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin; a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions, and fireworks shows.

The craic on St. Patrick's Day is not confined to Ireland alone. Ireland experienced large-scale emigration in the last two centuries and Irish communities abroad continued to observe the traditions of the festival. This is especially so in America. The first ever St. Patrick's Day parade took place in New York in 1762. In the 19th Century, there were many organizations in the U.S.A. that ②raised money for the Irish independence movement. These various groups joined St. Patrick's Day parades and the festival grew. Today, in American cities such as Boston, New York, and Chicago, St. Patrick's Day is a major festival, attended by politicians and celebrities.

This festival is now celebrated by people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Although North America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated in other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore, and Russia.

St. Patrick's Day and the Whitehouse

Due to the large amount of Americans with Irish ancestry, politicians in the U.S. are always sure to show the public that they respect Irish culture. In 1948, President Truman attended the St. Patrick's Day parade in New York and since then major St. Patrick's Day parades will be attended by high ranking American politicians. There is also a tradition that representatives of the Irish government will be received at the Whitehouse by the president on March 17th, every year. The American president will be presented with fresh shamrocks from Ireland.

The Harp

The harp has long been a symbol of Ireland. Perhaps the legends of its magical powers comes from the time when the bards would sing and tell stories of famous events to the Irish kings and chiefs. For five centuries it has been depicted on Irish coins and today it is used for the Irish state seal, official documents and uniforms.

The Shamrock

In ancient Ireland the Shamrock was thought to have magical powers and the number 3 was considered a powerful number. Legends say the leaves will stand upright when a storm approaches. St. Patrick used the Shamrock to symbolize the meaning of the church's teaching on the Trinity. It is considered very lucky to find one with four leaves.

Green

Green is the colour most associated with Ireland. It probably has something to do with the rich greenery of the Irish scenery. Later green became associated with pro-independence and anti-colonial groups in Ireland and wearing the colour green was actually banned by the British government for a short period. In the U.S, if you to forget to wear something green on St. Patrick's Day other people can pinch you!

Irish Toasts

Irish people are famous for being articulate and for drinking. No wonder then that there are numerous toasts originating from Ireland. Here are two well known ones:

May the road rise to meet you may the wind be always at your back the sun shine warm upon your face the rain fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again may God hold you in the palm of his hand!

May you live a hundred years, and then one more to repent and may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead!

St. Pat's Day in China

The best way to experience St. Patrick's Day in China would be to go to an Irish bar on March 17th. In some of China's bigger cities you will be able to find a few Irish bars and on this night they will be sure to have traditional music and green beer.

Every year the Irish Network China will hold a ball in Beijing to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. With hundreds of expatriate and local guests and live music acts flown in from Ireland it has become one of the hottest social events in Beijing.

For more info go to: www.省略

圣帕特里克：其人其事与神化传说

在名气更大的基督教圣徒中，就有圣帕特里克的一席之地，并且他还是爱尔兰的守护神。但他究竟是谁呢？关于圣帕特里克和其生平的许多故事，都是一些具有神话和传说色彩的东西。通常的说法是，圣帕特里克将所有的蛇从爱尔兰驱走，并向爱尔兰人传授了基督教，由此使爱尔兰人得到开化，并改变了他们野蛮的生活方式。

事实上，爱尔兰就根本没有任何种类的蛇。如果圣帕特里克确实曾自称将所有的蛇从爱尔兰驱走，那他一定就是唯一一个见过蛇的人！他将基督教传入爱尔兰的说法也是不正确的。虽然在圣帕特里克踏上爱尔兰土地的时候，大多数爱尔兰人都是异教徒，但这个岛国那时已有一小部分人在信仰基督教了。

不过，真相虽然稍显苍白，但还是很有趣的。大约在4世纪末的时候，圣帕特里克出生在一个富裕的英国家庭，并于公元460年3月17日去世。16岁的时候，他被洗劫他家庄园的爱尔兰强盗俘获。而后被他们带到爱尔兰，卖为奴隶，并在一座荒山上做了6年的牧羊人。

就在那时，他开始出现幻象。22岁时，上帝在梦中与他进行了对话，让他离开爱尔兰。于是他从奴隶主那里逃跑了，步行300多公里来到了爱尔兰的东海岸，并成功返回英国。而他仍旧受到神灵幻象的指引，并因此而接受了15年的宗教教育，然后返回爱尔兰，帮爱尔兰异教徒皈依基督教。

圣帕特里克已经熟知爱尔兰文化，而这对他完成使命帮助极大。圣帕特里克并没有试着去根除爱尔兰在前基督教时期的原有习俗，而是将基督教进行调整，使其适应爱尔兰的异教信仰。而他的一个不朽的发明，亦即爱尔兰基督教的圣标，就是凯尔特十字架。他将传统的基督教十字架和象征太阳的圆环进行了结合，从而把基督教和异教的标志融为一体。

爱尔兰文化是建立在口头传说和神化故事的悠久传统之上的。若考虑到这一点，圣帕特里克的故事在历经几个世纪的口口相传后变得言过其实，也就不足为奇了――用于传承历史的精彩传奇故事一直是爱尔兰人生活方式中的一部分。

节日

在爱尔兰，圣帕特里克节是一个法定假日，节庆历史已达几千年之久。传统上，爱尔兰人会在早上去做礼拜，并在下午和晚上举行庆祝活动。在这一天，有一个习俗，即要穿戴上绿色（国色）的服饰并在外套上别一束三叶草（爱尔兰国花，虽然事实上它只是一种植物）。一些人还会佩戴金色竖琴形状的徽章（爱尔兰国徽）。在参加完丰富多彩的游行后，剩下的时间就用来喝酒和跳舞了！

往年，在爱尔兰，十分注重圣帕特里克节的宗教元素。然而，近20年来，爱尔兰的宗教热情骤减，而这便改变了该节日的性质。因此，从20世纪90年代起，爱尔兰政府便开展起一项利用圣帕特里克节来推动旅游，向世界展示爱尔兰的活动。去年，将近一百万人参加了在爱尔兰都柏林举办的圣帕特里克节活动；这个一连多天的庆祝活动包括游行、音乐会、露天话剧演出和焰火表演。

圣帕特里克节的乐趣并非只有爱尔兰才可以体会到。近两个世纪以来，爱尔兰经历了大规模的移民潮，而国外的爱尔兰社团一直保持着这一节日的传统习俗。这种情况在美国尤为明显。1762年，在纽约举行了有史以来的第一次圣帕特里克节游行。19世纪时，美国有许多组织在为爱尔兰独立运动募集资金。这些不同的组织都加入到了圣帕特里克节的游行队伍中来，而这个节日也就随之得到发展。而今，在美国的一些城市，如波士顿、纽约和芝加哥，圣帕特里克节成为一个有许多政治人士和名人前来参加的重要节日。

目前在美国、加拿大和澳大利亚，各种背景的人们都在庆祝这个节日。尽管圣帕特里克节在北美洲搞得最为隆重，但爱尔兰之外的其它地区，包括日本、新加坡和俄罗斯在内，也都在举行庆祝活动。

圣帕特里克节和白宫

由于很大一部分美国人都有爱尔兰血统，所以美国的政客们总会向民众展现他们对于爱尔兰文化的敬意。1948年，杜鲁门总统在纽约参加了圣帕特里克节游行，从那以后美国一些高层政客都会出席一些重大的圣帕特里克节游行活动。另外还有一个传统，那就是爱尔兰政府代表每年3月17日都会在白宫受到接见。而美国总统则会被赠予从爱尔兰带来的新鲜三叶草。

竖琴

竖琴长期以来都是爱尔兰的象征。也许，自吟游诗人向爱尔兰君主和部落首领吟唱典故的时期开始，关于竖琴拥有魔力的传说便流传开来。它被印在爱尔兰钱币上已有5个世纪之久，而今在爱尔兰的国印、公文和军服上也都可以看到它的身影。

三叶草

在古代爱尔兰，三叶草被认为是拥有魔力的，而且数字“3”被当作是魔力数字。据传说所讲，在暴风雨来临的时候叶子会立起来。圣帕特里克用三叶草来象征教会关于三位一体的教义。据说找到4个叶子的三叶草，是非常幸运的事情。

绿色

绿色是和爱尔兰关系最为密切的颜色。它可能和爱尔兰充满绿色植被的景象有关。后来，绿色和爱尔兰支持独立、反对殖民的组织联系到了一起，事实上英国政府曾在短期内禁止穿着绿色服饰。在美国，如果你忘记在圣帕特里克节穿戴绿色服饰，别人会掐你的！

爱尔兰的祝酒词

爱尔兰人以其口齿伶俐和嗜酒而闻名。因而难怪有大量的祝酒词都出自爱尔兰了。以下两段祝酒词非常有名：

让大路在你面前伸展，让微风在你的身后轻拂，让温暖的阳光照耀着你，让小雨轻柔地降落在你的田间，我们再相见时，希望上帝庇佑你！

祝你长命百岁，再用一年时间来忏悔，希望在你到达天堂的半个小时后魔鬼才知道你去世的消息！

在中国过圣帕特里克节

在中国过圣帕特里克节的最好方式就是在3月17日的时候去一家爱尔兰酒吧。在中国的一些大城市，你可以找到几家爱尔兰酒吧，当天晚上，那里肯定会奏起传统音乐，并提供绿色的啤酒。

每年”中国爱尔兰联谊会”都会在北京举办一个舞会来庆祝圣帕特里克节。参加这个舞会有几百名海外移民和当地客人，而且那里还会有爱尔兰乐队的现场表演，这就使它成为北京最炙手可热的社交活动。

详情请查阅：www.省略。

lawless /`l5lis/ adj.无法无天的

expel /iks`pel/ v.驱逐

shore /H5/ n.(常用pl)国家

pagan /`peiG9n/ n.没有的人

captive /`k2ptiv/ n.俘虏

bandit /`b2ndit/ n.强盗；土匪

raid /reid/ v.抢劫

convert /k9n`v8:t/ vt.使……改变信仰

eradicate /i`r2dikeit/ v.根除

pre-Christian /`pr1`kristj9n/ adj.基督教以前的

innovation /,in9u`veiH9n/ n.创新

amalgamate /9`m2lG9meit/ v.合并

shamrock / `H2mr4k/ n.(植)三叶草

badge /b2_/ n.徽章

national emblem /`n2H9n9l `embl9m/ 国徽

feature /`f1tH9/ v.包括

confine /`k4nfain/ vt.限制

ancestry /`2nsistri/ n.血统

greenery /gr1n9ri/ n.草木

articulate /3`tikjulit/ adj.表达力强的

expatriate /eks`p2trieit/ n.移居国外的人

① set foot on 踏上

②raise money筹集资金

Links

1. craic 这个词是爱尔兰英语。它的意思是“fun”。爱尔兰人经常用到“craic”这个词，大多数英国人也明白这个词的意思。

例如：The party was great craic. 这个聚会非常好玩儿。

I had great craic at the party. 我在聚会上玩儿得很高兴。

2. The Trinity 是一个复杂的神学概念。它描述的是，上帝是一个一分为三的实体：圣父、圣子和圣灵。然而这三个实体其实就是一个！三叶草拥有三片叶子，而这三片叶子正是连接在一个叶柄上，象征着三位一体。