St. Patrick's Day

Ireland (although celebrated in many other locations, especially USA) - March 17th

The person who was to become St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Wales about AD 385. His given name was Maewyn, and he was responsible for converting much of the Irish people to Christianity. He died on March 17th in AD 461, and this day has been commemorated as St Patrick's Day.

One traditional icon of the day is the shamrock. And this stems from a more bona fide Irish tale that tells how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.