Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th every year. It is celebrated in Ireland and all over the world by Irish people and those interested in Irish culture. Many cities have St. Patrick’s Day parades. The St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York is world-famous.

St. Patrick was born to a Christian family in England. When he was young, he was kidnapped by raiders from Ireland. They took him as a slave to Ireland, which at that time was pagan. St Patrick was a Christian and believed in God. He spent a lot of time praying because he was very lonely. After a few years, he escaped from Ireland and returned to England. He was reunited with his family and later decided to become a priest. Eventually he was made a bishop. He returned to Ireland and began preaching about God to people all over the land. St. Patrick worked in Ireland for over 40 years and is credited with converting the Irish to Christianity. Irish people are very grateful to him for this and so they celebrate St. Patrick’s Day every year.

The most important symbols of St. Patrick’s Day are the shamrock and the leprechaun. St. Patrick used the three leaves of the shamrock to help people understand the three aspects of God – father, son and spirit. A leprechaun is a magical being, popular in traditional folk tales, similar in appearance to man but very small, often with a beard and in a green coat and hat. If you meet a leprechaun and you win his favour he might tell you where his gold is hidden.

In March, come and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with us. Remember to wear something green!