St. Patrick’s Day holiday – how did it begin? One story has it beginning in Dublin, Ireland, where there were two Protestant churches, one being Saint Patrick's. This saint's history began in the fifth century in Britain and not in Ireland. When Patrick, born in Britain, was around 16 years old, he was captured by British pirates and taken to Ireland where he was sold into slavery. For the next six years, while Patrick worked as a herdsman for his master, he learned the Irish language and became quite fluent in it.

When Patrick was in his early 20s, he escaped and immediately returned to Britain, his homeland. However, Patrick is said to have had a vision in which the people of Ireland begged him to return and preach and share his Christian faith with them. Patrick traveled extensively and studied religion in many monasteries before he decided to return to Ireland as a missionary. Although, still an escaped slave, he traveled, preached and successfully spread the Gospel. Patrick converted people and built churches all across Ireland.

One version of how the shamrock was associated with St. Patrick's Day was because of St. Patrick’s efforts to explain the concept of the trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost to some unbelievers. The unbelievers had difficulty understanding the concept of there being one God, yet three beings in one too. The story is told that Patrick was preaching outside in an open-air church service, when he reached down and plucked a shamrock from the ground. Patrick showed the shamrock to the non-believers and explained how the three leaves of the shamrock are united on one stalk. Thus, the three parts of the trinity are united in one God. After that day, the shamrock has been the symbol of the trinity of the Christian church as well as the national symbol of Ireland. It also symbolizes the "luck of the Irish".

Patrick began as a church deacon, then became a priest and finally was ordained as a bishop. St. Patrick eventually became the patron Saint of Ireland and is honored on March 17th as commemoration of St. Patrick's religious contributions. People in Ireland and the U.S. wear green clothing or a green shamrock to celebrate St. Patricks Day. There are many St. Patrick's Day parades and St. Patrick's Day parties, and in Ireland, many businesses close in honor of Saint Patrick's Day. It is believed that St. Patrick died in 493 AD and was buried in Ireland.

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