Saint Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is the Catholic feast day of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Culturally, it is celebrated by wearing green or orange, eating Irish food and drinking Irish stout beers. Large parades are held in Dublin, Ireland, New York City, and Montreal, Quebec.

Very little actual history is written about the legendary St. Patrick, who allegedly drove all the snakes out of Ireland. Born to wealthy parents in Britain, the young man who later became known as Paidrag, was kidnapped by Irish pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. As he lived out his days in fear, he turned to God.

After six years in captivity, St. Patrick is said to have escaped and went back home, where he went into a monastery to prepare himself to fulfill God's duty. He believed that he was guided by visions from God, compelling him to return to Ireland with Christianity.History.com: Who Was St. Patrick?

Very little actual history is written about the legendary St. Patrick, who allegedly drove all the snakes out of Ireland. Born to wealthy parents in Britain, the young man who later became known as Paidrag, was kidnapped by Irish pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. As he lived out his days in fear, he turned to God. After six years in captivity, he escaped and went back home, where he went into a monastery to prepare himself to fulfill God's duty. He believed that he was guided by visions from God, compelling him to return to Ireland with Christianity.History.com: Who Was St. Patrick?

Because the ancient Celts were part of an oral culture, Irish music is one of St. Patrick's Day's most treasured traditions. Conquered by England centuries ago, the Irish were forbidden to speak their own language and many feared that their stories and history would be lost. The Irish turned to music as an outlet for commemorating special events and memories.History.com: Symbols and Traditions

While many may believe the traditional St. Patrick's Day dish of corned beef and cabbage came straight out of Ireland, the original dish was prepared with Irish bacon. This proved to be too costly in the United States, so the Jewish community introduced the Irish to corned beef.History.com: Symbols and Traditions

For more than forty-five years, the Chicago Journeyman Plumbers have used a natural vegetable dye to turn the Chicago River green for two weeks. The traditions was born when plumbers discovered that the dye they used to detect sewage leaks into the river turned a bright shade of Irish green.Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade: Dyeing the River

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