St Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th. It is an Irish holiday honouring Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. According to the customs of the times, this was not the saint's birthday, but the day of his death. This day is also celebrated outside the country in the places with a large number of people of Irish decent. People honour Saint Patrick by attending special religious services, enjoying family gatherings, and wearing shamrocks.

St Patrick's Day church services are followed by parades and parties, Irish music, songs, and dances. Many people wear green clothes. It is a time for shamrocks, Irish flags, clay pipes and top hats. St Patrick's Day and its symbols are the story of the Irish and the land. The day has come to be a day for the Irish people throughout the world to gather and celebrate.

St Patrick is a patron saint of Ireland. Strangely enough, the patron saint of Ireland was not Irish himself. Historical sources report that he was born around 389 AD in either Scotland or in Roman Britain. Patrick's father was an official who worked for the Roman government. The family name was Succat, meaning clever in war. As a member of the upper classes of Roman-British society, the boy was trained in the teachings of Christianity, which had become well-established as the religion of the empire.
Patrick was brought up like any other child of his class until at 16 he was kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery in Ire-land. During his captivity, Patrick dedicated himself to religion. During the long, lonely hours in the fields and hills of Ireland he found comfort in praying.

Six years passed slowly by. Then in a dream, Patrick was told of a ship that would take him to safety to France. The trip was successful. He escaped to France. From that time Patrick devoted his life to God.

He returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary in 432. He began his work in northern and western Ireland, where no one had ever preached Christianity. He was a tireless and fearless missionary. Moving from place to place, he preached to all who would listen to, urging them to accept the Christian God. Before long he was famous throughout Ireland. His nickname was Old Shaved Head.

Patrick is said to have founded more than 300 churches and baptized more than 120,000 people. He also introduced the Roman alphabet and Latin literature into Ireland. He died about 461