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Facts You Might Not Know About St. Patrick’s Day

One of the legends of St. Patrick began hundreds of years ago when a boy in England was captured and taken to Ireland as a captive, where he then found God.

It is said that St. Patrick could hear angels, and that he had raised people from the dead. He was a very active missionary throughout Ireland for 30 years, which is why he was later called the patron saint of Ireland.

There have been many legends attributed to this saint throughout the centuries. St. Patrick’s Day began as a Holy Day in the Catholic Church, but over the years this religious Catholic saint’s day has turned into a more secular celebration of the upcoming new spring.

Here are a few facts about St. Patrick’s Day:

  • March 17th, the day of celebration, is the day of Patrick’s death.
  • St. Patrick, the patron saint of the Irish, was not from Ireland.
  • Patrick was a missionary in Ireland during the 4th century.
  • The Shamrock, symbol of St. Patrick’s Day, was a plant with three leaves that Patrick used to demonstrate to the pagans the trinity of God.
  • Maewyn is the name St. Patrick was born with. His name was changed by the Bishop in a monastery in France, after he escaped his captivity. He was not religious at all when he was a child.
  • The first St. Paddy’s day parade in America was in 1737, 40 years before the Revolutionary War.
  • Irish dishes include corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, Irish cream pie, Irish soda bread, scones, and Irish cheese bread. All of these would be good culinary choices on St. Patrick’s Day!

So wear something green, give a friend a shamrock and join in the parade.

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