Paddy's Day

The feast of Saint Patrick (A.D. 385-461), is celebrated world-wide by the Irish, those of Irish ancestory and anyone else who wants to get in on a great party.

French by birth (he was born in Brittany), Patrick was captured by Irish raiders as a teenager and sold into slavery in Ireland. He spent the next six years working as a herdsman before escaping back to France where he eventually entered the priesthood.

Patrick is the most recognizable of the Irish patron saints and his feast day is usually held on March 17th. However, if the date falls within the Church calendar's Holy Week, it may be moved to day outside it. This stems from a RCC practice of not observing saints' feast days during the lead up to Easter.

The "wearing of the green" is thought to represent Patrick's supposed practice of using the three-leaved shamrock as a way of explaining the Holy Trinity. This custom goes back as early as the 17th century.

For all it's beginnings as a religious observance, St. Patrick's Day has evolved into one of the biggest excuses for a party you've ever seen. Celebrations in the U.S. are probably the largest and most widespread outside of Ireland; the annual observance in Boston, Massachusetts is the oldest, dating from 1737.

So, Lá Fhéile Pádraig!