St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on the 17th of March every year and this date does not change from year to year unlike Easter Sunday or Hanukkah. The reason as to why St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on the 17th of March is not very clear though, but many believe it to be the day of St Patrick’s death. St Patrick’s Day had originated from Ireland, as mainly a Catholic holiday, but over the years it has expanded in such a way that it is not only celebrated by the whole of Ireland today, but in a lot of other countries as well.
St Patrick is the most popular of the famous patron saints of Ireland. He lived from the year 387 AD to 461 AD but not much is known about his life before he fled from his captivity as a slave in Ireland, to become a priest in the Auxerre Church. St Patrick had declared that he had fled from Ireland and become a priest because he had been told to do so by god. Once again, in 432 AD, St Patrick heard god telling him to go back to Ireland and spread Christianity among the polytheistic population of Ireland. Until St Patrick died in the year 461 AD, he was in Ireland with the sole mission to convert as many of the Irish polytheistic people to Christianity as possible. St Patrick was followed by many missionaries from Rome itself to Christianize the Irish, but it is St Patrick who is held as the champion of Christianity in Ireland.
St Patrick’s Day is famous for its parades and “the wearing of the green”. The tradition of associating St Patrick’s Day with green color has originated from the belief that St Patrick took the help of the shamrock, a green plant with three leaved branches, to teach what he taught about the Holy Trinity, during his evangelistic campaign to Ireland. The day is also famous for its joyous mood that is enjoyed by the especially the Irish and also others all around the world with feasts, drinks and music.