St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and is believed to have driven the snakes away from Ireland.
His name was not Patrick nor was he Irish. He was born Maewyn Succat, a Brit who was kidnapped by Celtic raiders at age 16.
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17 unless it falls during the Holy Week when occasionally the church authorities moved the date. In 1940, it was moved to April 3 so as not to coincide with Palm Sunday.
St. Patrick's Day is a national holiday in Ireland. It is celebrated here in the United States but not officially a public holiday. The first St Patrick's Day parade was in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737, although New York can boast of the largest St. Patricks' Day parade. The first New York's St. Patrick's Day parade was held on March 17, 1762 by Irish soldiers in the British Army. Savannah ,Georgia has the longest-running St. Patrick's Day celebration in the South and has been going on since 1813. Savannah's city fountains are dyed green for the occasion. The Chicago River is also dyed green every year in celebration of St. Patrick's Day and St. Patrick's Day celebration in Chicago, Illinois has been going on since 1843. The shortest St. Patrick's Day parade is in Boulder, Colorado on less than a single city block.
Today, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in the United States by Irish and non-Irish people by wearing green clothing, although blue color was once associated with St. Patrick's Day. In the United States, corned beef and cabbage is the most popular meal eaten on St. Patrick's Day. It is not an Irish meal historically and some people say it is because it is the cheapest food the early Irish immigrants could afford at that time. The widespread use of alcohol beverages on St. Patrick's Day celebration is rooted in the Roman festival of the Bacchanalia, a celebration of the deity, Bacchus on March 17 when wine was central to the celebration.
An Old Irish Blessing
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Here is an appropriate Irish Blessing for Active Rain members:
May the blessing of rain be on you -
The soft sweet rain.
May it fall upon your spirit
So that all the little flowers may spring up,
And shed their sweetness on the air.
May the blessing of the great rains be on you,
May they beat upon your spirit
And wash it fair and clean,
And leave there many a shining pool
Where the blue of heaven shines,
And sometimes a star.
HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY TO ALL OF YOU!!!!
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