St. Patrick's Day

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St. Patrick's Day - the traditional Irish holiday - is celebrated each year on March 17. This holiday is unknown in Greece, unless you are Irish.
St. Patrick is believed to have been born in the late fourth century. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, he was the patron saint and national apostole of Ireland who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland.
There are several accounts of St. Patrick's death. One says that he died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, on March 17, 460 A.D. Another account says that he ended his days at Glastonbury, England and was buried there.

 

­Saint Patrick is most known for driving the snakes from Ireland. It is true there are no snakes in Ireland, but there probably never have been . As in many old 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. ­Saint Patrick's Day has come to be associated with everything Irish: anything green and gold, shamrocks and luck. The biggest observance of all is, of course, in Ireland. 

  

The north White House fountain and the Chicago River  e House are annually dyed green on this day.

Irish coffee with a shamrock

In American cities with a large Irish population, St. Patrick's Day is a very big deal. Big cities and small towns alike celebrate with parades, "wearing of the green," music and songs, Irish food and drink, and activities for kids such as crafts, coloring and games. Some communities even go so far as to dye rivers or streams green!  Famous Irish Americans include John and Ethel Barrymore: Distinguished stage and screen performers  ( John was Drew Barrymore’s grandfather), Henry Ford: Established Ford Motor Company, Judy Garland: Entertainer and singer, Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" and John F. Kennedy: First Irish-American Catholic to be elected U.S. President.  

According to Irish legend, St. Patrick chose the shamrock as a symbol of the church's Holy Trinity because of its three leaflets bound by a common stalk.

The Legend of the Blarney Stone

There is a stone there,That whoever kisses,Oh, he never missesTo grow eloquent.'Tis he may clamberTo a lady's chamber,Or become a memberOf Parliament.

Just northwest of the Irish village of Cork is the village of Blarney, the home to the 90-foot-tall (27.4-meter) Blarney Castle. The tower originally had three stories. On the top story, just below the battlements on the parapet, is the world famous Blarney Stone which is said to give the gift of eloquence (beautiful speaking ability) to all who kiss it. Today, "Blarney" means "the ability to influence and coax with fair words and soft speech without offending.

"Kissing the stone is quite a physical feat. You have to sit with your back to the stone, and a local guide or friend sits on your legs or firmly holds your feet. Then you lean back and down into the darkness between the castle's 18-foot-thick (5.5-meter) walls and, grasping the iron rails, lower yourself until your head is even with the stone.

Now that you know all about Saint Patrick, the day named in his honor, and the legends associated with the celebration, go out and enjoy St. Patrick's Day -- and don't forget to wear your green!