Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

March 17 is celebrated worldwide as St. Patrick’s day, patron of Ireland. St. Patrick was born in the year 387 in Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland. His father was an officer of the Roman army. Irish pirates took Patrick prisoner at the age of 16 year and sold him as a slave. He spent six years in Ireland, where he learned to speak the Celtic language. He managed to escape and went to France to prepare for the monastic life, and was ordained a priest. When he was 46 years of age he decided to return to Ireland to evangelize its inhabitants. And he remained there almost three decades, until his death on March 17, 461.

A Christian tradition says that Patrick explained the mystery of the Holy Trinity using a three-leaf clover. So it is traditional to wear a Shamrock for the celebration of his feast. It is also common to dress in the color green and even dye with this color the beer in honor of Ireland, also dubbed the «Emerald Isle».