Get ready for a good time, lads and lassies. Pull out your green shirts, green blouses, green ties, and green hats. Celebrate through the bright day and mystic night.
In America, going to a bar? You’ll have the time of your life! Plan to spend some hours to drink a few. Warning -- the beer’s not stale and gone bad. This cool brew is dyed with green food coloring – another holiday green to make the day special. It’s St. Patrick's Day, folks.
Come with me on a journey to learn how this holiday, dating back to long ago, was born.
There once was a young lad named Patrick. The chap lived in the British Isles. Now the British Isles territory had been conquered by the Romans and, after this success, the German tribes invaded the Isles and won, too. Patrick was captured in the battle, and he became a slave to what is now called Ireland.
During his hostage life, Patrick tended sheep for years, but he always prayed that one day he would return to his home.
Lore says that one night, during Patrick's time in prayer, a voice told him to run away from the farmland, and to seek a ship that was waiting for him. Supposedly, the ship was two hundred miles away, a long distance from where he was.
Patrick finally made it to the ship. Then he traveled to Europe, and pressed on to France -- a dangerous journey that he endured with his crew. Throughout their trip, the miraculous thing is that none of the group were arrested.
Gallant Patrick knew in his heart that he was called by God to return to Ireland, and for a purpose. Patrick's heart was set to lead the Celtic people to Christianity.
The perseverant young man reached Ireland, and moved from town to town to share his Christian faith, where he faced several tribe members that refused to believe his message -- and they told Patrick so. The story goes that Patrick responded to their disbelief by reaching to the ground for a shamrock, and pointing to the three leaves to represent the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. He continued to explain to the group that all three leaves are part of one plant, like the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are part of God. This detail of the Holy Trinity, through show and tell, was St Patrick's means of helping them to grasp the Christian faith, and they did understand. From this point, the shamrock became a symbol of Ireland.
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