St. Patrick's Day

1.WHAT IS ST. PATRICK'S DAY ?
On the 17th of March is St. Patrick's Day (Ireland: Pádraig Fhéile, Ulster Scots: Day Saunta Petherick of) a religious holiday celebrated internationally, in commemoration of St. Patrick (c. 387-461 AD), the most recognized of the patron saints of Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. St. Patrick's Day, was created in the 17th century and hasgradually become a secular celebration of Irish culture in general.The day is generally characterized by the attendance of church services, the use of green dress (especially clover), and the lifting of the restrictions of Lent in eating and drinking alcohol, which is often forbidden in rest of the season.St. Patrick's Day is a holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland andLabrador and in Montserrat. It is also celebrated by the Irish diaspora, especially in places like Britain, Canada, USA, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand among others. Today, St. Patrick's Day is probably the day that is celebrated saints in the world.

2.WHO WAS PATRICK ?
Little is known about Patrick's life, although it is known that he was born in Britain in the 4th century. His father andgrandfather were deacons in the Church. At sixteen he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken captive to Ireland as a slave. Is believed to be held somewhere on the west coast of Ireland. According to his confession, he was told in a dream to flee from his abduction to the coast, where they would go on board a ship and return to Britain. Upon his return, quickly joined the Church of Auxerre in Gauland studied for the priesthood.In 432, he again said that he was called back to Ireland, although Irish folklore was a bishop said that one of their teaching methods included the use of the shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish. After almost thirty years of evangelization, Patrick died on March 17, 461, and according to tradition, was buried in Downpatrick.SaintPatrick was the one who brought Christianity to Ireland.

3.USING THE GREEN

Formerly, the color associated with St. Patrick's Day was blue. Over the years the green and its association with St. Patrick's Day grew. They had green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St. Patrick's Day and in the 17th century. Is said to have used the shamrock, a plant with three leaves to explainthe Holy Trinity to the pagans of Ireland, and the use and the vision of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become an essential feature of the day. In the rebellion of 1798, hoping to make a political statement, the Irish soldiers wore green uniforms every March 17 in hopes of catching the public's attention.

4.CELEBRATION IN IRELAND
St. Patrick's Day is, as a sort of national holiday,and was being held by the Irish in Europe over the centuries 9 and 10. In recent years more and more became known as the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick's Day became a very important day for the Catholics in Ireland. The church calendar avoids the observance of the feasts of the saints during certain solemnities, moving the saint's day at a time outside such period.In 1903, St. Patrick's Daybecame a holiday in Ireland. This was a national holiday by an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom introduced an Irish member of Parliament James O'Mara. O'Mara later introduced the law requiring pubs and bars close on March 17 after drinking got out of hand, a provision which was repealed in the 1970s. The first parade of St. Patrick's day celebrated in the Irish Free State was held inDublin in 1931 and was reviewed by the then Minister of Defence Desmond Fitzgerald. Although secular celebrations now exist, the holiday remains a religious observance in Ireland, both Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland.

In mid 1990 the government of the Republic of Ireland launched a campaign to use St. Patrick's Day to show Ireland and its culture. The government created a group called St....