The things I DID know about St Patty's Day were that it happened in March, it celebrated the Saint Patrick who drove the snakes out of
Ireland, you wear green or get pinched, and some folks drank green beer and ate cabbage and corned beef on this day each year.
Okay... admittedly I didn't really know much about the holiday :-)
But since we have some designs this week focused on that theme, I thought it was high time I looked up the facts about this holiday. So here are 3 things I learned that I didn't know before...
Thing 1 -
The date we celebrate is March 17th because that is the day tradition says St Patrick died... March 17th, 461 AD. Well the YEAR really surprised me too. I "assumed" it would be in the dark ages or renaissance times... not so early in our AD history. But this day celebrates his death AND the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.
Thing 2 - St Patrick's Day is an official holiday ( as in banks closed, government offices closed, etc.) is
Ireland. That part I could assume, but is also an official holiday in Newfoundland and Labrador, and Montserrat, as well as in some parts of GB, Canada, US, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand.
Thing 3 - Ireland never had snakes. That is an allegorical reference. What he did was preach the gospel to the Pagans, specifically the Celts, and thousands were converted because of his spreading the Word.
