It is mid April and you are already thinking about St. Patrick ‘s Day. Perhaps you have big plans for the night or you are trying to plan ahead. Either way, St. Patty’s day is a day where we all throw on something green, pretend that we are Irish for the day, and do things like guzzle green beer and even dye the rivers green in some cities.
St. Patrick’s is widely celebrated across the United States and is a great opportunity to get together with some friends and have a good time. Although many of us celebrate this fun and exciting tradition many of us have the slightest idea where it originated. Because Healthy Financial Habit’s favorite color is green we would like to share with you a little history behind Saint Patty’s day and let you in on what day it will occur this year.
Saint Patty or St. Patrick was an Irish saint who was captured by pirates at an early age and imprisoned as a slave. He spent six years as a slave in Ireland and became a Christian before escaping to France and becoming a monk. He later returned to Ireland and spend 29 years as a missionary bishop. He founded 365 churches and baptized over 100,000 people. From here many tales were told of the saint. He was believed to magically charm the snakes so that they drowned themselves in the rivers.
What started as a celebration in Ireland quickly spread to the United States. Today we celebrate St. Patty’s on the same day as the folks in Ireland March 17th. In fact, St. Patrick’s day is so big in Ireland that most businesses are closed down in observance.
Author: Carla Kessler