Happy St Patrick's Day

History of Saint Patrick
St. Patrick's Day honors St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. We celebrate St. Patrick's Day on March 17. Americans march in parades, dance the Irish jig and gather to sing Irish songs. People wear green in memory of Ireland, the Emerald Isle and wear shamrocks, clover with three leaves.

March 17 was not the day St. Patrick was born but the day he died. Even though we don't know the date of his birth, most scholars believe the year was 385 AD and the year of his death was 461 AD.

St. Patrick was born in Scotland, studied religion to become a priest and then went to Ireland to teach the people about God. There are many wonderful stories about St. Patrick, some true and some not true. The most famous legend is that he drove the snakes out of Ireland. This did not happen but the Irish will tell you that you cannot find a snake throughout the whole country of Ireland.
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated annually on March 17 in honor of Ireland's patron saint. St. Patrick was born between 370 and 390 C. E. in the Roman Empire in Britain. His given name (Magonus Sucatus or Maewyn Succat) was changed to Patricius (Patrick) either after his baptism or after he became a priest. At the age of 16, Patrick was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Ireland. He remained in captivity for six years during which time he worked as a shepherd and began to have religious visions. During one of the visions, Patrick became aware of a rescue ship and he fled to France.

Patrick eventually returned to Ireland as a missionary and succeeded in converting the Irish to Christianity. He used a shamrock to explain the Trinity to potential converts. The three leaves of the shamrock represented the father, son, and holy spirit. Patrick is also reported to have driven all of the snakes, a pagan symbol, out of Ireland and into the sea where they drowned. This is perhaps a metaphor for driving paganism out of Ireland since biologists believe there were no snakes in Ireland at the time.

St. Patrick's Day celebrations in the United States are secular and date back as far as 1737 when Boston held its first St. Patrick's Day parade. The day is celebrated with green beer, the wearing of green clothing, and parades. However, in Ireland, the day is primarily a religious occasion.

Because many Americans celebrate their Irish lineage on St. Patrick's Day, March was chosen as Irish American Heritage Month. The month was proclaimed in 1995 by Congress (Public Law 103-379).