The Man Behind St. Patrick's Day

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Even if you aren't Irish, you can always participate in March 17th's St. Patrick's Day festivities. But it's even better to celebrate it when you know how the holiday came to be.

St. Patrick is truly one of Ireland's biggest celebrities, the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland credited with bringing Christianity to the country. Most agree that St. Patrick was born in Britain near the end of the fourth century. At 16, he was taken prisoner for more than six years by Irish raiders who attacked his family's estate. During his imprisonment, he became a devout Christian, using religion as a source of comfort.

St. Patrick escaped his imprisonment after allegedly hearing a voice telling him to leave Ireland. He then began his religious training after having another dream which told him to become a

missionary. He was ordained as a priest and was sent to Ireland to convert more people to Christianity and minister to Christians living in Ireland. Patrick integrated traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of completely eliminating the Irish's religious beliefs. For example, he held bonfires at Easter because the Irish honored their gods with fire. To make the cross a part of the Irish Catholic lifestyle, he placed an image of the sun, an Irish symbol, onto the cross, creating the Celtic cross.

Legend has it that Patrick died on March 17 -- hence St. Patrick's Day -- around the fifth century. The Irish have held celebrations on this day for thousands of years. Irish families attended church and threw celebrations. Though it fell during Lent when Catholics were forbidden to eat meat, people still danced, drank and ate Irish bacon (corned beef) and cabbage.

Today, the holiday of St. Patrick's Day is celebrated worldwide by people of all religions. In modern Ireland, the holiday draws people from all around the world and features a multi-day celebration with parades, concerts, plays and fireworks.