...that Saint Patrick was born in the late fourth century from wealthy, Roman parents. His given name is unconfirmed -- either Magonus Sucatus or Maewyn Succat?

Here are a few more little-known facts about Saint Patrick's Day.

 
 
When St. Patrick was a boy, it is said that he was captured by pirates and taken to Northern Ireland. For six years, he slaved as a shepherd herding pigs and sheep, and began to have religious visions. He eventually escaped back to England and traveled throughout the region.
St. Patrick hoped to return to Ireland and spread Christianity but his religious superiors appointed St. Palladius instead. Two years later, St. Palladius transferred to Scotland and St. Patrick, having adopted that Christian name earlier, was appointed as second bishop to Ireland.
The three-leaf clover is what St. Patrick used a way to explain Christianity. He used it 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. He traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries, and setting up schools and churches.
St. Patrick is well known for driving the snakes from Ireland. As in many pagan religions, serpent symbols were common and often worshipped. Driving the snakes from Ireland was probably symbolic of putting an end to that pagan practice.
St. Patrick’s mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years. After that time, Patrick retired to County Down. He died on March 17th some time between AD 460 and 493. There are several different historical accounts of the circumstances and place of his death. But one date remained the same - March 17th, which has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since.
Some believe that the first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.
Surprisingly, prior to 1996, the celebrations held in Ireland were nominal in contrast to those held abroad. As political movements grew, the Irish used ancient symbols to differentiate themselves from the British. The Great Famine of 1847 swelled the numbers of Irish emigrants around the world and the Irish people hung on to this symbol of national identity. This lead to the celebration becoming something of a global event.
Following the hoof and mouth disease scare that canceled parades in 2001, Dublin decided they should embrace the gimmicky shamrocks and green beer to help boost tourism. The 5-day Dublin St. Patrick’s Day festival has an attendance of over 700,000 people. With the exception of restaurants and pubs, almost all businesses in Dublin are closed on March 17th.
Today, people celebrate by wearing green, attending parades, singing Irish songs, eating corned beef and cabbage and drinking (green!) beer. Some communities have been said to dye rivers or streams green!
In the U.S., people line the streets for parades in over a dozen cities including Boston, New York and Chicago. St. Patrick’s Day traditions will continue this year in New Orleans, where the influence of Mardi Gras has led to an evolution of Saint Patrick’s Day parades around the big easy. Even after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, locals and tourists alike will be able to catch their share of St. Patrick’s Day beads tossed from elaborate parade floats.
In Eastern Canada, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in numerous ways. Among the most popular of all activities is that people wear something green at least somewhere on their body - if they don't have a green shirt or pants, green underwear will suffice. No matter how cold it is, the parade marches on. Drinking starts at the crack of noon which usually means taking time off work.
Across the globe in Japan, the Tokyo parade is organized by the Irish Network Japan (INJ) with the support of the Embassy of Ireland. The Japanese love a good party and they are particularly fond of all things Irish - including Irish setters and Guinness beer.
In London, celebrations take place at the Duke of Wellington on Eaton Terrace (The Iron Duke, as he was otherwise called, was Irish) behind Sloane Square.
Since the entire month of March is festival season down under, Sydney’s calendar is full of events. There are Irish events at breakfasts, lunches, dinners, balls, race days, golf days, and concerts. Of course, there are plenty of rounds of drinks in Australia's more than 150 Irish pubs. However it’s not all about drinks for Australia. A traditional St. Patrick's Day Mass is held at St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney.
Green is associated with Saint Patrick's Day because it is the color of spring, the color representing Ireland, and the color of the shamrock. It’s considered good luck to find a four-leaf clover any day of the year, but double the good luck, on St. Patrick’s Day.
Leprechauns, who have traditionally been associated with St. Patrick’s Day, are very clever, Irish fairies are said to be only two feet tall and dressed like shoemakers. According to legend, Leprechauns are unsociable creatures who live alone, pass the time making shoes and keep a hidden pot of gold. The legend says that you can threaten a Leprechaun with bodily harm to find his pot of gold but if you take your eye off him, he will get away.
On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families will traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat are waived and people will dance, drink, and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage and washed down with copious amounts of Guinness and creamy Irish Coffee.
This year, Ireland's annual festivity will kick off on March 15th. The 5-day event will include street theatre, fireworks, music, exhibitions, symposiums, fun fairs and a treasure hunt. The streets will be jammed with traffic while over half a million people will enjoy the spectacular street party.
For more information about life in Ireland, click here.
 
         
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