Saint Patrick's Day (March 17th), is an Irish holiday honoring Saint Patrick, the missionary credited with converting the Irish to Christianity (in the A.D. 400's). The first American celebration of Saint Patrick's Day was in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737.
Saint Patrick whose real name was Maewyn Succat was kidnapped at the age of 16 by pirates and sold into slavery. During his 6-year captivity he found strength in his religious faith. After he escaped, he went to Gaul in Europe, where he studied in a monastery under St. Germain, Bishop of Auxerre for twelve years. Patrick was appointed the second bishop of Ireland when he returned to fulfill his wish to convert the pagans that had overrun the country.
Legend has it that Saint Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland -- that they all went into the sea and drowned. The snake was a revered pagan symbol, and perhaps this was a figurative tale alluding to the fact that he drove paganism out of Ireland.
Various items are associated with Saint Patrick's Day...
Green:
The color green - because it is the color of spring, Ireland, and the shamrock.
Leprechaun - Irish Fairy:
The name leprechaun is derived from the old Irish word luchorpan which means "little body." A leprechaun is a fairy taking the appearance of a miniature old man. Leprechauns are solitary creatures and spend their time making shoes and brogues. If you hear the sound of his hammer when he is at work you know you have found him. If caught, he can be forced to reveal the whereabouts of his treasure, but the captor must keep their eyes on him every second. If the captor's eyes leave the leprechaun, just for a moment, he will vanish.
The Blarney Stone:
This is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney Castle tower in the Irish village of Blarney. Kissing the stone is supposed to bring the kisser the gift of persuasive eloquence (blarney). The origins of the Blarney Stone's magical properties aren't clear, but one legend says that an old woman cast a spell on the stone to reward a king who had saved her from drowning. Kissing the stone while under the spell gave the king the ability to speak sweetly and convincingly.
Shamrock:
A member of the clover family, was used by Patrick to explain the mystery of the Trinity, the three leaves of the shamrock representing the Trinity (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit). According to Irish legend, Ireland's patron saint chose the shamrock as a symbol of the Trinity of the Christian church. To this day the shamrock remains the national emblem of Ireland and is worn proudly by Irish people the world over on St. Patrick's Day (March 17).