Holiday: Saint Patrick's Day
Date: March 17, 2011
History: Saint Patrick's day is celebrated on March 17 in honor of Saint Patrick, a patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. He is also known for driving all of the snakes out of Ireland. (While it is true that there are no snakes in Ireland, most likely there never has been any.) For over a thousand years, the Irish have observed Saint Patrick's Day as a religious holiday. Today, the holiday is associated with everything Irish including the color green, shamrocks and luck. However, many still celebrate Saint Patrick's Day as it was originally intended: as a traditional day for spiritual renewal and the offering of prayers for missionaries all over the world.
Interesting Facts: If you catch a leprechaun, they have to give you their gold. This is a lucky event that can only happen in Ireland and is just one explanation for the Gaelic expression, Beannachtai na Feile Padraig, which is a wish for you to have all the blessings of Saint Patrick's Day and the "luck of the Irish" to go with it. Here in the US, more than 100 parades are held and in Chicago, they dye the Chicago River green (we recommend going to Google Images and searching "Chicago River St. Patrick's Day").
For more information, visit http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day.
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