Originally posted by Jeff_Bartel
So, is this related to St. Patrick's day in any way? I know that the Irish flag represents:
Green: the papists
Orange: the protestants
White: the supposed peace between them
If the Catholics wear green tomorrow, should us as protestants wear orange in honor of our martyred fathers?
Just trying to see if there is a connection.
Well, here's my
(things to consider):
St. Patrick's Day is a Roman Catholic saint's day. There is no direct connection between it and the Battle of Boyne that I know of.
Patrick was a good man, and may have more historical connection to Presbyterianism than Romanism.
He was born British, not Irish.
The first St. Patrick's Day celebration took place in America not Ireland.
Although Protestants have celebrated the day, most St. Patrick's Day parades are run by Roman Catholic organizations.
Personally, I don't wear green or orange on St. Patrick's Day (frankly, those colors are not found in my wardrobe any day
). Green is identified with Catholic Republicans (Nationalists), although the country is rightly known as the 'Emerald Isle' (the green grass over there is amazing). Orange is associated with Protestantism because of William of Orange and the Orange Order (the latter of which I would not care to associate myself with due to it's connections with Masonry).
It's a shame that colors and people get co-opted by causes that are not good. The colors themselves are fine. And although I am partial to the Ulster flag, I have great love for Ireland and its culture. Hence, I don't celebrate St. Patrick's Day. It is good to recall the history of the
Ulster Massacre and the true history of Patrick (see
The History of Presbyterianism in Ireland by Thomas Hamilton).
There is an interesting historical connection to the color blue as noted in the article below.
17 Things You Didn't Know About March 17th