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St. Patrick' Day

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1. Saint Patrick Saint Patrick, known as the Apostle of Ireland, was a high-ranking Christian clergyman. His legendary use of the shamrock as an illustration of the Trinity led to its adoption as Ireland's national symbol.

Patrick, Saint (389?-461?), called the Apostle of Ireland, Christian prelate. His birthplace is uncertain, but it was probably in southwestern Britain; his British name was Succat. At 16 years of age he was carried off by Irish marauders and passed his captivity as a herdsman near the mountain Slemish in county Antrim (according to tradition) or in county Connacht. The young herdsman saw visions in which he was urged to escape, and after six years of slavery he did so, to the northern coast of Gaul. Ordained a priest, possibly by Saint Germanus, at Auxerre, he returned to Ireland. Sometime after 431, Patrick was appointed successor to St. Palladius, first bishop of Ireland. Patrick concentrated on the west and north of Ireland, establishing his see at Armagh. Patrick's two surviving works are written in Latin and demonstrate his acquaintance with the Vulgate translation of the Bible. In one of these works, the Confessions, Patrick portrays himself as an ignorant yokel in an unequal contest with the powerful and learned adherents of Pelagianism. His reported use of the shamrock as an illustration of the Trinity led to its being regarded as the Irish national symbol. A strange chant of his, called the Lorica, is preserved in the Liber Hymnorum (Book of Hymns), and what purports to have been a handbell he used during Mass is shown in the National Museum in Dublin. His traditional feast day is March 17.

2. Ireland Ireland was Christianized by Saint Patrick in the 5th century. He and his successors founded churches and monasteries that became centers of Christian art and refinement. Saint Patrick's Day is the most important national holiday in Ireland.

3. Feast Day Saint Patrick's Day, March 17, is the traditional feast day of Ireland's patron saint. In the United States, Saint Patrick's Day has evolved into a celebration of Irish American heritage. Many Irish American communities hold parades, with celebrants dressed in green to symbolize the lush Irish landscape. Some people take it a bit further and dye their hair and food green, and some communities (such as Chicago) go so far as to pour green dye into rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water.

4. Shamrocks Shamrocks have been considered good-luck symbols by the Irish since early times, and shamrocks or various representations of the plant are frequently worn on Saint Patrick's Day. The hop clover is widely accepted as the original shamrock picked by Saint Patrick. The name shamrock comes from the Irish Seamrog, which means "little clover."

Shamrock (Irish Seamrog, "little clover"), common name for any of several trifoliate clovers native to Ireland (see Clover). The shamrock was originally chosen as the national emblem of Ireland because of the legend that Saint Patrick used the plant to illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity. Most shamrocks, particularly the small-leaved white clover, have been considered by the Irish as good-luck symbols since earliest times, and this superstition has persisted in modern times among people of many nationalities. Shamrocks or various representations of the plant are worn by celebrants on Saint Patrick's Day, March 17 of each year. The hop clover is widely accepted as the original shamrock picked by Saint Patrick. Scientific classification: Shamrocks belong to the subfamily Papilionoideae, family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae). The white clover is classified as Trifolium repens and the hop clover as Medicago lupulina.

5. Leprechauns In Irish folklore, leprechauns (Old Irish for "small bodies") are mischievous little old men. These elves, who work as cobblers, are believed to know where gold is hidden.

6. Rainbows Does tracking down a leprechaun and his hidden pot of gold sound improbable at best? Many people believe that the leprechaun keeps his gold at the end of a rainbow. Have you ever seen the end of a rainbow? Interestingly, one of the definitions of rainbow is "a goal, hope, or ideal that is unlikely to be achieved or realized."

Information gathered from Microstsoft Encarta Encyclopedia.