ST PATRICK’S DAY

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on the 17th March. It’s a religious feast day and the anniversary of the St Patrick’s death in the fifth century. This day has been a religious holiday for Irish people for more than a thousand years St. Patrick's Day is during the Christian season of Lent so Irish families would traditionally go to church in the morning and then celebrate in the afternoon. Normally during Lent you can’t eat meat but people were allowed to eat meat on St Patrick’s Day. They would eat the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage and then dance and drink.

History of St Patrick Patrick was born in Britain in the year 387. His real name is Maewyn Succat. The name St. Patrick was given to him later in life by Pope Celestine. His parents, Calphurnius and Conchessa were part of a rich and important Roman family. When he was 16, he was captured by pagan Irish thieves and sold as a slave to a chieftain called Meliuc in Antrim, Ireland. He spent his teen years as a shepherd looking after his Meliuc's sheep. During this time he developed a strong belief in God

After 6 years of being a slave, he returned home to his family. He became a priest and, in 432, he was made a bishop by Pope Celestine, who sent him on a mission back to Ireland. He spent 28 years travelling across the countryside to spread the word of God. He was able to do this easily as he was fluent in the Celtic language. He converted almost the entire population of Ireland, which became a Catholic country. Although Patrick was born in Britain, he called himself Irish because it was in Ireland that he discovered God. St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin

There is a legend that says St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The word "shamrock" comes from the Gaelic word "seamrog“ which means "trefoil”. The shamrock was also a sacred plant for the Druids. Shamrock is the national flower of Ireland. Many Irish people wear a shamrock on St. Patrick's Day. The shamrock became associated with St. Patrick and Ireland's conversion to Christianity because lots of people told the Trinity story to other people. Now, the shamrock is used a lot to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day, and it has been used by non-religious groups as a symbol for Ireland. However, the shamrock is not the official Irish national symbol, it is the harp.

Another legend about St Patrick is that he made the snakes leave Ireland. Some stories say that he stood on a hill and used a wooden staff to make the snakes go into the sea, never to return to Ireland. Also the legend says that one snake didn’t go into the sea so Patrick then tricked it into going into a small box which he put into the sea. It is true that Ireland has no snakes. However, the snake is a Celtic symbol, representing nature and the cycle of life.

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH If you want to have the luck of the Irish this St. Patrick's Day, you should follow this advice: 1. Wear green (so you don't get pinched!!). 2. Find a four-leaf clover. 3. Kiss the blarney stone. 4. Catch a Leprechaun if you can.

1. A FOUR-LEAF CLOVER Although the majority of clovers found in nature have three leaves, it is possible to find four-leaf clovers but they are rare. Finding one will bring you a lot of luck. The folklore for four-leaf clovers is different from the stories of the Shamrock because it is not religious. Each leaf of a four-leaf clover represents something different: first is hope, the second is faith, the third is love, and the fourth is happiness.

2. WEAR GREEN So why do we all wear green? Probably because you'll be pinched if you don't! School children started this tradition. Green is also the colour of spring and the shamrock. In the past, green has been a colour used in the flags of some revolutionary groups in Ireland and now it is used in the Irish flag, which they started using in Also, Ireland is often called the "Emerald Isle" because of all the green countryside found on the island. One of the things that interests people all the time is how Ireland is very green--it's very far north, but it doesn't get frozen.

3. KISS THE BLARNEY STONE The Blarney Stone is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, about 8 km from Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone gives the kisser the gift of the gab (when people speak in a way that makes people want to listen to you and believe you). The stone was put into a tower of the castle in The castle is a popular tourist site in Ireland with visitors from all over the world coming to kiss the Stone and look at the castle and its gardens. The word blarney now means clever or flattering talk.

4. CATCH A LEPRECHAUN What does a mythical leprechaun look like and why are they so special? A leprechaun looks like a little old man and dresses like a shoemaker with a hat and leather apron. A Leprechaun's personality is described as aloof and unfriendly. They live alone and spend their time fixing the shoes of Irish fairies.

The legend is that the fairies pay the leprechauns for their work with golden coins, which the "little people" collect in large pots--the famous "pots of gold" often associated with leprechauns and found at the end of a rainbow. If you listen closely for the sound of their hammer you might be able to see and capture one. If you do you can make him tell you where he's hidden his treasure by threatening to hit him. Be careful! Do not take your eyes off him because if you do he will disappear and you won’t find his treasure.

Leprechauns are very rich and they like to hide their gold in secret locations, which can only be found if a person captures and interrogates a leprechaun for the money. Some of the Leprechauns powers include magical control over the way the Earth works and the materials that are on Earth, for example, gold, silver, etc. In some Irish myths Leprechauns have the power of hypnotism that confuses a person allowing the Leprechaun to escape.

Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated all over the world by both Irish and non-Irish people (usually in Australia and North America). Celebrations are generally themed around all things Irish and, by association, the colour green. The St. Patrick's Day parade was first held in Boston in Today, the New York parade is the largest, with two million spectators and 150,000 marchers. As the saying goes: EVERYONE’S IRISH ON ST PATRICK’S DAY!!! The Chicago River is dyed green on St Patrick’s Day LET’S ALL BE IRISH FOR ONE DAY

patricks-day Happy St Patrick's Day!