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ST. PATRICK'S DAY
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17 to mark the anniversary of the death of the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that St. Patrick, as he came to be known, in fact was not even Irish. The man who later came to be known as St. Patrick was born Maewyn Succat between 370 and 390 A.D. At the age of sixteen he was sold into slavery by a group by Irish marauders that raided his village. This experience brought him closer to God. After six years in slavery he escaped. From this point he studied to be a priest, eventually returning to Ireland to convert pagans to Christianity. He was the second bishop of Ireland. He died in 460 A.D.
The shamrock, a familiar symbol of St. Patrick’s Day, was commonly used by Patrick to explain the Trinity during his sermons. This is the belief of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all-existing as separate elements of the same entity. Legend has it that Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland, it is said to be true that there aren’t any snakes in Ireland to date, but there probably never were. Many view this metaphorically as the end of paganism in Ireland, particularly because pagans worshiped serpent symbols.
Although St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish holy day, the first parade was held in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737. Those partaking in celebration dress in green usually adorning themselves with a shamrock. Other common symbols are pots of gold and leprechauns. The blarney stone and St. Patrick’s Day pinch are also commonly spoken of throughout celebration. Green beer and bagels are commonly served while communities will even die their rivers and streams green.
This may come as quite the surprise, but based on participants per population of the city in which it is held Scranton, PA is the second largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the country. Participants include bag pipers, high school bands and floats. Presidential candidate and Senator Hillary Clinton, originally from Scranton, even participated in the 2008 parade.
