St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish holiday that is celebrated all around the world to honor the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17th of every year because that is the feast day of St. Patrick. It is believed he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick’s day is a national holiday in Ireland and a provincinal holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Dublin, the capital of Ireland, has a huge St. Patrick’s Day festival from March 15-19, that features a parade, family carnivals, treasure hunt, dance, theater and more. In North America, parades are often held on the Sunday before March 17. Some paint the yellow street lines green for the day and of course we have all seen green beer! In Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green with a special dye that only lasts a few hours. Which reminds me of a line in the movie The Fugitive; “If they can dye the river green for one day why can’t they dye it blue every other day of the year?” There has been a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Boston, Massachusetts since 1737. Montreal is home to Canada’s longest running St. Patrick’s Day parade, which began in 1824.

There are many stories surrounding St. Patrick, many true and many not so true. One legend is that St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland. Of course this isn’t true but the Irish will tell you that you won’t find a single snake in all of Ireland. Like I said, there are many stories and legends of St. Patrick. This is his story.

St. Patrick was born in 685 AD in Scotland. Nobody knows exactly where in Scotland. Between the ages of 14 and 16 he was captured during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to farm and tend sheep. Ireland at this time was a land of Druids and pagans and he learned the language and practices of the people who held him.

Patrick’s captivity lasted until he was twenty, when he escaped after having a dream from God in which he was told to leave Ireland by going to the coast. There he found some sailors who took him to Britian, where he united with his parents and family.

Patrick began his studies for the priesthood and spent the next 12 years in a monestary. Later, he was ordained a Bishop and sent to Ireland to spread the Gospel. He and his disciples built churches all over the country and converted many over the course of the next 40 years. After years of living in poverty, traveling and enduring much suffering he died March 17, 461.

He died at Saul, where he had built his first church.

St. Patrick used a shamrock to help explain the trinity, and has since been associated with him and the Irish.