LoL!
In American cities with a large Irish population, St. Patrick's Day is a
very big deal. Big cities and small towns alike celebrate with parades,
"wearing of the green," music and songs, and of course, Irish food and
drink. Some communities even go so far as to dye rivers or streams green.
Saint Patrick is believed to have been born in the late fourth century
and is most known for driving the snakes from Ireland. It is true there
are no snakes in Ireland, but there probably never have been! The island
was separated from the rest of the continent at the end of the Ice Age.
As in many old pagan religions, serpent symbols were common and often
worshipped. Driving the snakes from Ireland was probably symbolic of
putting an end to that pagan practice. While not the first to bring
Christianity to Ireland, it is Patrick who is said to have encountered
the Druids at Tara and abolished their pagan rites.
Saint Patrick's Day has come to be associated with everything Irish:
anything green and gold, shamrocks and luck. Most importantly, to those
who celebrate its intended meaning, St. Patrick's Day is a traditional
day for spiritual renewal and offering prayers.
This is Rex Barker C.S. (Counting Shamrocks) reminded that there is a pot
of gold at the end of every rainbow…I just have to find it before that
leprechaun gets his hands on it!