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Before we discuss ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, we must understand WHY it is celebrated. St. Patrick's Day was brought to us by a Saint named Patrick...go figure. Not much more than that is clear, however. We have all heard of the story where he made all the snakes in Ireland flee. The thing is, we all know this is impossible. Ireland probably never had snakes to begin with. Stories such as that one were just that...stories. And exaggerated ones at that. It is said that St. Patrick was taken to Ireland by some raiders who attacked his family. While he was in captivity, St. Patrick wrote that he heard God's voice telling him it was time to leave, and he then escaped from the prison, leaving Ireland. He then wrote that he heard an Angel's voice telling him to go back to Ireland to teach Christianity. And thus the Saint was born. According to History.com, despite popular belief that St. Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland, it was already being practiced in Ireland. St. Patrick merely ministered the already existing Christians and converted those who weren't. St. Patrick died on March 17th, 461 AD, which marks the anniversary for which we celebrate St. Patrick's Day on.

Despite which story we deem as true, St. Patty's Day is a cause for celebration, and an excuse to have fun. So how can we have a good time in St. Patrick's honor?

At the top of everyone's list on celebrating St. Patrick's Day is usually a trip to a bar. Or perhaps even several bars! Bar hopping is a very popular way to ring in the shamrocks. But this is a given...what else?

Do some Irish Karaoke! Bands like Dropkick Murphys, U2, The Cranberries, Snow Patrol, and Flogging Molly are only a few that you can lend your vocal talents to (or lack thereof). It's a good time, and if nothing else, a good laugh for you and your friends.

Make some green beer! "No special process is involved in producing this St. Patrick's Day novelty drink. Simply add 5-6 drops of green food coloring to your beer and gently stir. Go for a bright color because a yellow-ish green is off putting no matter how fast you plan to down your drink. It is also best to go with lighter ales as opposed to a dark stout, like Guinness. To get a green color out of a Guinness, you would have to add enough food coloring to turn your teeth green when you take a sip" (Weston).

Can't go out because you have kids to tend to? For the little ones, use water, or a clear juice like white grape juice. That will keep them occupied for a little while. After that, perhaps you could cut out some Shamrocks from green construction paper and have the children decorate them. Just get some glitter, glue, stencils, crayons and anything else you can find to slap on there and go crazy!

Also, many areas have St. Patrick's Day Parades. To see if there is one close to you, try googling "St. Patrick's Day Parades near (enter zip code here). If there are any, they should pop up.

You could also go all out and plan a trip to Ireland. What better way to celebrate this festive day than to be where all the action originated?

Works Cited

History http://www.history.com/minisit e.do?content_type=Minisite_Gen eric&content_type_id=859&displ ay_order=1&mini_id=1082

Weston, Nicole. "How to Make Green Beer" http://www.slashfood.com/2006/ 03/16/how-to-make-green-beer/

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