We come to associate the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day with a lot of drinking but in fact there is more to it than just that. The holiday would not exist had it not been for a band of pirates, who during the 5th century AD kidnapped a 16 year year-old boy by the name of Maewyn.
During the six years that they have him captive as a slave. He came to a religious awakening. He changed his name to Patrick, joined the monastery and took on a new calling, that of converting his people to Christianity. He did so by founding schools and churches and within 200 years Ireland was a Christian country. It is also sad that he used the three leaf clover as a tool to teach the people of the Holy trinity. St. Patrick died in 461 AD on the date of March 17th was declared a religious holiday.
In Ireland most business remains closed while pubs and restaurants are open. The St. Patrick’s Day costumes spread through out the world, so today we are all Irish. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
