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History of the four leaf
clover:
The origin of the legend of finding a Clover Four (shamrock) and the
Luck it would bring, takes us back to the time of St. Patrick. He was
born around 373 in Scotland. His real name was Maewyn Succat.
At the age
of 16 he was kidnapped by pirates and sold as a slave. During this
6-year period of slavery he got more and more religious visions and his
faith gave him strength. He escaped, travelled to France and became a
priest.
At the age of 60 he returned to Ireland to spread Christianity. They say
that Maewyn possessed an enormous strong personality which helped him
always to overcome setbacks. He used the clover/shamrock as a metaphor
for the trinity: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The clover
three had the form of a cross and it was believed in general that this
was a sign of a perfect unit. The legend says that St. Patrick chased
away all snakes from Ireland. They crawled to the sea and drowned. The
snake used to be a symbol of an earlier pagan faith and with this
telling story he saved Ireland from the paganism. Saint Patrick is often
depicted in an episcopal garment with snakes and a shamrock at his feet,
and the holy trinity with the aid of a clover or shamrock.
"St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th by all Irishmen, all
over the world. This custom dates from the seventh century and has been
since then a never interrupted tradition."
According to legend, otherwise, each leaf of the clover represents something. The first leaf is for hope, the second leaf is for faith, the third leaf is for love, and the fourth leaf, naturally, is for luck.
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