St. Patricks Day!   

I know it has something to do with St. PAtrick...I know the first parade was is the US, not in Ireland, I think Irish soldiers marched here. Other than that I guess I do not know much. I'm glad you started this discussion and I look forward to seeing the answers! =)

I really dont have any idea about St.Patrick day! i only heard it from the internet. But im curious how it is supposed to be celebrated.

St.Patricks Day is in celebration of St. Patrick, who is the patron saint of Ireland. March 17th is believed to be the date that he died and the day is a feast day in honour of him.

In legend it is said that he banished all the snakes from the Ireland. He was also a missionary who spread the word of the Christian faith both here and abroad.

These days I do agree it is really just a day to get extremely drunk and have a good bit of fun.

I for one will be definitely be drowning the Shamrock

Most saints have a day named after them but they are not celebrated. For Example Saint George's Day is April 23 and is celebrated but not in the general way that Saint Patrick is.

I am sure the original meaning of the celebration has changed into a secular celebration of Irish food, drink and parades, much like Christmas has changed from its original meanings.

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years.

On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast---on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place, not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English military.

After reading this discussion and learning what it is that I have been celebrating my whole life on March 17th, (I acctually did have a clue), I have come to the conclusion that i will just see it as a party holiday that we Americans use to get drunk and have a great excuse for it, especially since it falls on a Tuesday this year!
I love this holiday. I have been working in the restaurant business for many years, and have either gone out to celebrate this with good friends or I have worked and made silly amounts of money! This year I even wrote down a few of my favorite martinis and published them over on ehow.co. The link to see the article is: www.ehow.com/how_4836106_make-irish-martinis.html. Check it out if you have the time!

Here is a good site for info on this subject:

http://www.history.com/minisites/stpatricksday/

Be sure to where some green. People used to pinch me at school when I forgot to wear it. Silly but sort of fun too. Have a happy and don't cover up the freckles.

Another reason ?? When else can I drink green beer until I am drunk ?? We need more holidays like this.