About Saint Patrick
About Saint PatrickEach year we celebrate St. Patrick's Day in various ways. By wearing green apparel, proudly displaying shamrocks on our shirts, holding parades all over the world, and in Chicago they even dye the Chicago River green, a tradition started in 1962.
But how much do we actually know about this amazing Irish celebration?
Let's start with Saint Patrick himself. Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland.
Saint Patrick was a missionary in the 5th century and is credited with converting Ireland to Christianity.
Early in his life he was captured by the Irish and sold into slavery. He escaped to France and eventually returned to Ireland to convert the druids to Christianity.
One of the most popular legends of St. Patrick is that he stood on a hill and drove all the snakes from Ireland. This is said to be why the sea is so rough around the island. Of course this is myth and symbolism of St. Patrick converting the druids to Christianity.
Because of his important role in this matter, St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland.
It is also celebrated by people of Irish descent in many other countries, especially by Irish Americans in the United States.
