Pattern (devotional)

With the central location of their devotions gone, people found alternative ways to honour their saint's feast day.

While many of the faithful paid homage at the saint's shrine or in the ruins of their local church, most devotions took place at a nearby holy well, celebrated for its curative power.

[4] Priests would often assign making a pattern at a local well as a penance for sins; pilgrimages to such sites as Croagh Patrick also had a penitential purpose.

[5] At some sites participants would proceed to various "stations", such as a small oratory, the saint's grave, or a Celtic cross in a predetermined and customary order.

[6] Having completed the religious devotion participants would also engage in activities such as gaming, singing, dancing, and horse racing.

This opposition gained momentum in the late eighteenth century as bishops began to issue edicts forbidding the people to participate in such wild festivals.