Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

It is a religious international holiday celebrated on March 17th of every year. It is called St. Patrick's day because Saint Patrick is known as the patron saint of Ireland. Most information about St. Patrick has been twisted, embellished, or simply made up over centuries by storytellers, causing much ambiguity about the real life of St. Patrick. However, there are a some elements of his story about which most scholars accept to be true. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years. The day is marked with special liturgical programs and a breaking of Lenten fasts. It is a tradition to wear green or shamrocks on this day or be pinched. However, history says the color of favor use to be blue! The shamrock's association with St. Patrick's Day comes from the popular myth that says St. Patrick used the three leaves of the plant to explain Catholicism's holy trinity to the Irish.  He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.  Green is associated with St. Patrick's Day because it is the color of spring, Ireland, and the shamrock. Today, people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada, and Australia celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Although North America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated in other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore, and Russia. Ireland has promoted this holiday to the fullest and over a million people come to Dublin to participate in the parade every year! It is believe he died in the 5th century on March 17, which is the day St. Patrick's Day is commemorated each year. Over a hundred cities in the United States have a parade celebration! As the saying goes, on this day "everybody is Irish!"