Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated on 17 March every year in Northern Ireland and you may also hear it being called Feast of Saint Patrick. Saint Patrick is the most famous patron saint of Ireland. He was from a rich Romano-British family living in England and he lived around the 4th and 5th centuries. However, his luxurious life didn’t last very long. When he was 16, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and was sent to Ireland to be sold as a slave. He has lived 6 years as a slave until his escape. After his return to home, he started to preach in Ireland and many sources say that he died there on 17 March 461. However, just like his birth date, this date is a topic of contradiction. There are also some people who claim that his name at birth was Maewyn Succat.

There are many superstitious stories about Saint Patrick. For example, it is said that he rid Ireland of snakes and his ash wood walking stick became a living tree. There are even legends about him being able to speak with the dead, some people say that he has communicated with long-dead ancestors of the Irish.

Today, on Saint Patrick’s Day Irish people generally tend to attend the church since the day has a religious background. Other people from all countries see this day as an opportunity to celebrate Irish culture with parades and parties. You may think of green as soon as you hear Saint Patrick’s name but in the past, this day was associated with blue.

Speaking of green, another symbol of this day is the shamrock which is a kind of three-leafed clover. It is said that Saint Patrick used the three leaves of the clover to represent Father, Son, and Holy Ghost which is the Christian Trinity in other words.

There are also some traditional foods associated with this day. Soda bread, cabbage, corned beef, Irish stew, colcannon potatoes, green beer, and pots-o-gold which is a chocolate dessert are all examples of the traditional foods eaten on Saint Patrick’s Day.