17th of March - St Patricks Day
17th of March is the 76th day of the year
St Patricks Day:
St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, first came to that island as a slave, at the age of 16 taken by raiders from his home – though which spot on the British mainland has that honour is much disputed – Kilpatrick in Scotland, Banwen in Wales, and Ravenglass in Cumbria just three from a long list of possibles. He escaped but returned later as a missionary, credited with converting the heathen Irish to Christianity (the banishing snakes legend seems to have arisen centuries after his time). March 17th is his feast day as that was supposedly the day he died in 493AD, though that year too is debated – it is even theorised that two figures have been combined into our idea of St Patrick. Celebrations of St Patrick’s Day have altered over the years – decorated crosses were once worn by the Irish to mark the day, rather than the shamrocks and harps more usual now; and the big parades and evening festivities that boost Guinness sales annually are more recent inventions.
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