Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Here is a little History for you.

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery.

Taken Prisoner By Irish Raiders. It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D.  At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.) After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, God's-spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.

To do so, Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation-an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish. Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick like many before him including Christ, chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity. Rather than of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs he would give them new meaning. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish. Although there were a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, most Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion. So for the most part St. Patrick did indeed Christianize Ireland.

Did St. Patrick remove the snakes from Ireland. Well some contend there were never were any physical snakes there to begin with. But in a symbolic way he did indeed remove the snakes from Ireland in the hearts of the Irish people. The "banishing of the snakes" was really a metaphor for the eradication of pagan ideology from Ireland and the triumph of Christianity. Within 200 years of Patrick's arrival, Ireland was completely Christianized.

The first St. Patrick's Day parades were in not in Ireland but in NYC staring March 17, 1762.

For symbols and recipes and more fun facts click the link below from the History Channel.

http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day-symbols-and-traditions

Janie118 wrote: Hi Connie.....Hope you have a great St. Patty's week ((((((HUGS))))) Janie

Thank you Janie We can all use Hugs so here are some to you too. ((((((((HUGS)))))))

HI MY SWEET FRIEND..I AM TRYING TO GET SOME COMMENTS OUT TODAY.i CAN NOT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR THE GEAT WELL WISHES AND PRAYERS...yOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MENT TO ME..i AM DOING BETTER..sTILL HURT BUT NOT LIKE IT WAS..i HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY AND A NICE st pATTYS DAY AND AGAIN THANK YOU SO MUCH..ALWAYS IN MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS..HUGS...BLESSINGS AND LOVE

CHAR

Hi Janie, Your page is lovely! I really enjoyed your new slide show of your home town. Beautiful architecture there! Looks like a wonderful place to call home. It was great to see some of the trees and shrubs starting to flower too! We here in Southwestern Ontario aren't quite that far along yet, but it won't be long now! This is such a grand time of the year! Have a Happy St. Paddy's Day tomorrow and may you and yours be blessed mightily. Hugs, Barb