On march 17th the Irish people celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
St. Patrick's Day is the national holiday of Ireland.
St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. He was not a born Irish. His real name was Maewyn Succat. He was the son of a Roman-British army officer.
First the colour of St. Patrick's Day was blue, but the national colour is green, so the colour changed.
On this day everybody wears green clothes, the beer is also coloured green and some rivers are dyed green. They make huge parades, listen to Irish music and drink a lot of Guinness or “green” beer.
The day is celebrated in Ireland, Canada, Great Britain, Austria, the United States, Uruguay and New Zealand.
One reason St. Patrick's Day might have become so popular is that it takes place just a few days before the first day of spring.
