Saint Patrick’s Day

Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. Born in Roman Britain in the late 4th century, he was kidnapped at the age of 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped but returned around 432 CE to convert the Irish to Christianity.

He had established monasteries, churches, and schools. Patrick’s best known story is when he explains the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit using a three leaf clover.

Records show that the people of Ireland have been celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day since the 9th or 10th century, and observing it as a Roman Catholic holiday.

But the first Saint Patrick’s Day parade took place in the United States in 1601. As the
Irish population grew in the United States, so did the Saint Patrick’s Day festivities. It was the emigrants, particularly to the United States, who transformed Saint Patrick’s Day into a holiday.

Irish and non-Irish participate in “wearing green”, wearing a green garment or a
shamrock, the Irish national plant, on the lapel. Corned beef and cabbage are associated with this holiday.

Remember that there is a legend, which says that the leprechauns on St. Patrick’s Day
pinch you for not wearing green, only the color green makes you invisible to the
leprechauns.