St. Patrick's Day by The Thomas Ranch.
As an Irish Lad myself, I take extra care when trying to write this page. I do not want to offend my Ancestors. Today St. Patrick’s Day is filled with Green Beer, and Parties, but this isn’t what this day began as. “Happy St. Patrick’s Day” or as some say it “St. Paddy’s Day.” Catch a Leprechaun and his Pot’ O’ Gold and find a four leaf clover for good luck.
Saint Patrick was a Christian missionary and is the patron saint of Ireland along with Brigid. Patrick was born in Roman Britain. When he was about sixteen he was captured by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. He entered the church, as his father and grandfather had before him, becoming a deacon and a bishop. He later returned to Ireland as a missionary.
Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated worldwide by Irish people and increasingly by many of non-Irish descent (usually in Australia, North America, and Ireland), hence the phrase, "Everyone wants to be Irish on St. Patrick's Day." Celebrations are generally themed around all things green and Irish; both Christains and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of the holiday by wearing green or orange (the offical color of The Thomas Ranch), eating Irish food (Corn-Beef and Cabbage, Irish Stew, Bacon, Sausages, Black and White Pudding) and/or green foods, devouring Irish drink, and attending parades.
The St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin, Ireland is a part of a five-day festival; over 500,000 people attended the 2006 parade. The largest St. Patrick's Day parade is held in Chicago and it is watched by over 2 million spectators. The St. Patrick's Day parade was first held in Boston in 1737, organized by the Charitable Irish Society. New York's celebration began on 17 March, 1762, when Irish soldiers in the British army marched through the city. Ireland's cities all hold their own parades and festivals. These cities include Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Derry, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, and Waterford. Parades also take place in other Irish towns and villages.
St Patricks Day
