March 17 is the day of remembrance of the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. Saint Patrick, according to tradition, brought Christianity to a pagan island and drove out all the snakes. In honor of St. Patrick, a parade with songs and dances is arranged, Irish beer is poured by a river. March 17 is a holiday not only for the Irish saint, but also for the Irish soul.
This holiday has outgrown the national borders and has become a kind of international day in Ireland. In different cities of the world - in New York, Buenos Aires, Melbourne celebrate the day of St. Patrick. Bright marches, parades and festivities of people dressed in green (the national color of Ireland) are noticeable everywhere where the Irish live. In the buttonhole on this day, clover, a symbol of Ireland and good luck.
The name of St. Patrick is associated with many legends, for example, that he used the three-leafed clover to explain to people the concept of the Holy Trinity. "Just as three leaves can grow from a single stem, so God can be one in three persons" - this phrase of the saint has already become a textbook.
In Ireland, there is a tradition to attach to the clothes shamrock, which symbolizes the cross, the color of Catholicism, and the symbolic color of the most "emerald country". Complex hymn, which tells that the Saint Patrick using the shamrock interrupted pagan ritual that occurred in the village of Tara, the royal capital of Ireland at the time.
Saint Patrick is one of the most revered saints in the world. The Western Church celebrates the day of his memory on March 17, in a number of Orthodox Churches his memory is honored on March 30 according to a new style (March 17 in the old style).
But St. Patrick's Day also has pagan motives. So, one of his indispensable heroes are leprechauns - fabulous shoemakers who own a hidden pot of gold. If a lucky treasure hunter can catch a leprechaun, then this creature must tell the person where his treasures are hidden. However, if you suddenly catch a shoemaker, then remember that you should not completely believe him, - these little men are insidious and mischievous and can easily deceive the gullible treasure hunters.
It is said that the leprechauns entered the celebration of Saint Patrick's Day just recently - companies that sell postcards for this holiday needed a pretty character who could appear in the drawings. A stern, though kind, preacher, Saint Patrick, was not entirely suitable for this role. In the drawings, the leprechauns are usually dressed in a pointed hat and a leather apron.
Traditionally on St. Patrick's Day parades are held. People come out into the streets dressed in extravagant costumes, as well as brass bands that can not do without the famous bagpipes. The popular rumor says that this tradition was born in Ireland. New York and Boston dispute the palm tree. New Yorkers claim that the first parade took place in 1762 in their city. Then Ireland was under the rule of the British, and it is quite possible that the inhabitants of the rebellious North American colonies expressed their solidarity with them.