Odes of March - Part 2

As the Irish see St. Patrick
timeanddate.com

Now that we've cover sacred holidays, lets look at the profane, which circles back to St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland.  Now, in Ireland, St. Patrick's feast day is observed with "solemnity" and is "a day of obligation,"  according the Gospel of Wikipedia, which goes on to say, "... in the rest of the world it is a celebration of Ireland."  However, the American version of the celebration is much like the story of the St. Patrick driving snakes from the Emerald Isles: a bunch of malarkey.

First, according to the History Channel, we know very little about St. Patrick except that he was born in Britain. That's right. He's not even Irish.  Not only that, there are two possible Patricks, or Patrigs, referred to in the legends of St. Patrick and no one knows which one is the St. Patrick.  Fortunately, this matters little to St. Patrick's most devoted supplicants, the denizens of the packed-to-the-gills bars wearing blinking shamrocks, green top hats, and shirts that say, "Kiss Me, I'm Irish," while swilling green beer (or black and tans for the classy set).

As Americans see St. Patrick
smartassradio.com

Second, to simply look at the visual images associated with St. Patrick's Day, it would be assumed that he is one and the same as the Notre Dame mascot -- kind of an angry, squatty, leprechaun, ready to punch you out. Which is to say that St. Patrick's Day is an American celebration where everyone identifies themselves with an Irish stereotype, wears green clothing (or else gets pinched!), eats corned beef and cabbage, drinks until they become angry, squatty leprechauns, and, barring arrest, projectile vomiting, or kill-me-now hangovers, have a lot of fun.

Third, apparently there are not now nor never have been snakes in Ireland. Well, at least since the Ice Age, which is wa-ay earlier than St. Patrick. Pagans, however, take umbrage with St. Patrick, claiming their ancestors were the symbolic snakes. Since St. Patrick can be invoked to aid in situations regarding snakes, witchcraft, and, oh yeah, sin, I'm thinking there's some credence there -- as if St. Patrick's Day wasn't non-PC enough. Yet, still, so fun.

Another oft-time profane phenomenon in March is a tradition known as Spring Break. We don't even have time to begin to consider all the shenanigans that take place during that week when dedicated, hardworking students flock to the coastal cities (like mine) and go berserk. Also fun.

howlatthemoon.com

The other profane March occurrence will undoubtedly resonate less with most readers, although it is in many ways far more notorious and heinous than the debauchery of St. Patrick's celebrants: the ides of March.  March 15th is the day Roman Emperor/Dictator/Emperator Julius Caesar was slain by members of his personal counsel, close friends, and the Roman Senate at the foot of the statue of Pompey in 44 BCE. Shakespeare made much of it in his tragedy, Julius Caesar, from whence the expression comes, "Beware the ides of March..." I'm certain that many students of Shakespeare (see right) wish the play began and ended with Caesar's murder.

The Ides of March for Julius Caesar
onthisdeity.com

What's an ide, anyway? asks the title of an article in the Christian Science Monitor, echoing the burning question in my mind. The CSM says an ide is the time of the full moon according to the Roman  lunar calendar, which fell on the thirteenth of the month except in March, May, July, and October. (All great months!)  Though, apparently not so much for Emperor/Dictator/Emperator Julius Caesar, who had replaced the lunar calendar with his own  Julian calendar in 45 BCE. (But that wasn't why he was assassinated. It was the confusion over his title.)