March 17th is well known around the world as Saint Patrick's Day. But who was St. Patrick and why is his day celebrated on this date?

He was  a missionary way back in the 4th century who converted the Irish to Christianity and March 17th is the day that he died.

The History

Saint Patrick was born around 385 AD in the United Kingdom. His real name is believed to be Maewyn Succat (he took on Patrick, or Patricus, after he became a priest). When he was 16, he was kidnapped by a group of Irish raiders and sold into slavery in Ireland. During his six-year captivity as a shepherd, he began to have religious visions and found strength in his faith. He finally escaped to France and became a priest - and later a bishop. When he was about 60 years old, Saint Patrick returned to Ireland to spread the  Christian word. He used the shamrock, which resembles a three-leafed clover, as a metaphor to explain the Christian concept of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

 People give St. Patrick credit for chasing all the snakes out of Ireland but the truth is that snakes are not indigenous to Ireland and it is believed that snakes were probably a metaphor meaning pagans.

 Just an Irish Holiday?

The first St. Patrick's Day parade didn't take place in Ireland, but actually in New York City on March 17, 1762. Now, over 100 US cities and all over the world have St. Patrick's Day parades but New York's Parade is still the largest .

Famous sites and landmarks around the world take on a greenish glow, such as Rio’s Christ the Redeemer, The Colisseum, The White House Fountain, The Empire State Building and The Chicago River

Chicago has a unique tradition of dyeing the river green. To know more about this tradition and how it started in 1962 click  HERE

Why Green?

• It is one of the colours of the Irish flag
• It is the colour of the shamrock, one of the symbols of Ireland
• Ireland is a green island. In fact it is called the Emerald isle because of its lush vegetation
• According to the traditional Irish legend, wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns

Leprechauns are Irish fairies. They are solitary creatures who spend their time mending shoes and have a hidden pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and if they are captured by a human they may grant three wishes in exchange for their freedom. To know more about leprechauns click  HERE

Would you like to see how the Chicago river is dyed green? Click HERE

St. Patrick's Day ( song for children)