Hol. Report 2: Saint Patrick's Day

Holiday Report 2.

If you are wearing something green and you don't know why, read this. If you do know why, read anyway.

Patrick was not his real name. His name was Sucat. Pronunciation: sook at. He grew up as a normal boy, but he was very disobedient and didn't believe in God. One day, his village was attacked by pirates. His father told him to stay, but he went out to fight the pirates anyway. He got captured and was shipped to Ireland. (I know that's not normal, but if Patrick was too normal, he would not have a holiday named after him). He viewed his capture as a punishment from God for his disobedience.

At Ireland he was sold as a slave and his name was changed. I'm not sure what his new name was, but let' s say it was "pig boy". Pig-boy-Sucat's job was feed the pigs. In Ireland, the people spoke a different language. But we'll make-belief that everyone there spoke English. (Except the pigs). Pig-boy-Sucat was very lonely as a slave. But he remembered what he was told about God when he was young, so he grew closer to God over the years. He prayed before bed, he prayed when he worked, and he prayed when he ate. Why, in no time at all, he was praying over 100 times a day! (That's a lot, but it's cool).

After 6 years, he had a dream that God wanted him to leave Ireland. So Sucat asked his master if he could go free. His master said he was too valuable to let go, so he said "no". Sucat then escaped and walked 200 miles to the sea. There he met a captain and said,
"Good-day Cap, the name's Sucat. I was captured 6 years ago by pirates, and sold into slavery. Since then, I've been feeding pigs, and praying 100 times a day. Can I have a lift?"

The captain said "yes" and they sailed to England. There, he changed his name to Patrick. (The "Saint" part comes a little later). Also, he had another dream. He dreamt that Ireland was crying for him to come back and tell them about God. So he went back to Ireland with some friends. This is where the story gets good.

The king of Ireland let Patrick preach, though the Druids didn't want Patrick to. The Druids were the pagans of Ireland. They hated Patrick and his message of Jesus. So a Druid leader set a trap for Patrick and his friends. The Druid leader persuaded the king to invite Patrick to a Druid ceremony. The Druid leader gathered soldiers to ambush Patrick on the road. I shall now write in the Druid's point of view:

The Druid leader whispered loudly, "Look! There they are! Kill them!"
The leader of the soldiers whispered back, "What are you talking about? There's only deer on the road."
The Druid leader kept yelling, "Get them! There they are! Are you blind?! Kill them!"
The troop leader persisted, "There's only deer. Keep quiet, and leave the deer be."

Apparently, God caused the soldiers to see deer instead of Patrick and his friends on the road. Talk about a personal bodyguard! Patrick arrived safely at the ceremony. The ceremony is this: The Druids would feast, and then they would make a giant fire. No one in the land would make a fire until this special fire was made. Patrick decided to make his own fire in defiance to the Druid gods and to praise the one true God. Patrick and his friends made a huge fire while the Druids were still feasting. The Druid leader saw the fire and was furious.

He then summoned Patrick to dine with him and the king. The Druid leader secretly poisoned Patrick's cup and proposed a toast to Patrick's God. But God had told Patrick ahead of time that his cup was poisoned. Patrick accused the Druid leader of poisoning him. Of course, the Druid leader denied this. But the king then insisted that the Druid leader should drink from Patrick's cup to prove the the accusation was false. The Druid leader said no, which only confirmed Patrick's accusation. So the king banished the Druid leader, and all Druids from Ireland. Then the king told Patrick he wanted to hear more about God.

Patrick continued to work among the Irish and tell them about Jesus. And God blessed Patrick and his work. On March 17, 461, Patrick died. And his name was changed one last time; to Saint Patrick. Now, people all over the world wear a little green (the color of Ireland) and celebrate Saint Patrick's Day, a man who trusted God through thick and thin.

In conclusion, you can now wear your green sweater, and know why you're wearing it.

The End