St. Patrick’s Day is is Tuesday!
Top of the mornin’ to ye!! St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish holiday celebrated all over the world. It is to honor the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick.
Who was St. Patrick you ask?
Saint
Patrick lived between 432 and 461 A.D. At the age of sixteen he was
kidnapped from his native land of the Roman British Isles by band
pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. He worked as a shepherd and
turned to religion. After six years of slavery he escaped to the Irish
coast and fled home to Britain.
While back in his homeland, he decided to become a priest. He then
decided to return to Ireland after dreaming that the voices of the Irish
people were calling him to convert them to Christianity.
He traveled back to Ireland as a christian missionary several years
later. St. Patrick was able to bring upon a massive religious change to
Christianity by converting people of power. He is credited with
converting nobles, who set an example which people followed.
Patrick’s mission in Ireland is said to have lasted thirty years. It is believed he died in 461
on March 17th.
The first year St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated in America was 1737, in Boston, Massachusetts.
The first official St. Patty’s Day parade was held in New York in 1766. Over 100 U.S. cities now hold St. Patrick’s Day parades.
In Ireland people traditionally wear a small bunch of shamrock’s on
their jackets or hats. Children wear orange, white and green badges.
Women and young girls wear green ribbons in their hair.
Fun Facts about Clovers!
According to the Guinness book, the highest number of leaves found on one clover is fourteen!!
There are 10,000 regular three leaf clovers for every one lucky four leaf clovers.
So if you find one consider yourself very lucky!!
Legend says that every leaf on a clover means something. The first is
for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for
luck!
Enjoy the holiday! And remember everyone is Irish on Tuesday, March 17th!!
