St. Patrick's Day commemorates St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. According to the document, St. Patrick was born in Britain in 385 AD and was captured and enslaved in Ireland at age 16. During his captivity, he became a Christian. After escaping, he returned to Ireland and spent 30 years converting the Irish to Christianity. He established churches and schools across Ireland. St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th, the day he died, with traditions including wearing green, shamrocks, and dyeing rivers green. Leprechauns are linked to Irish folklore and spend their time making shoes and hiding pots of gold.

1. IRELAND
ST.PATRICK'S
DAY

2. 1 History of St. Patrick's Day
2 Shamrocks
3 Leprechauns
4 Activity on St. Patrick
5 Activity on
Leprechauns
6 Some useful links

3. The person who was to become St. Patrick was quite successful at
Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, winning converts. And this fact
was born in Wales about AD 385. rightfully upset the Celtic
His given name was Maewyn, and Druids, who had their own
he almost didn't get the job of native religion. Patrick was
bishop of Ireland because he lacked arrested several times, but
the required scholarship. escaped each time. He traveled
throughout Ireland,
establishing monasteries
across the country. He also set
Far from being a saint, until he was
up schools and churches which
16, he considered himself a pagan.
would aid him in his
At that age, he was sold into
indoctrination of the Irish
slavery by a group of Irish
country into Christianity.
marauders that raided his village.
During his captivity he became a His mission in Ireland lasted
Christian and adopted the name for thirty years. After that
Patrick. time, Patrick retired to County
Down. He died on March 17 in
AD 461. That day has been
commemorated as St. Patrick's
Day ever since.

4. 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.
SHAMROCK

5. LEPRECHAUNS
A leprechaun is a type of fairy
in Irish folklore, usually taking
the form of an old man, clad in
a red or green coat, who
enjoys partaking in mischief.
Like other fairy creatures,
leprechauns have been linked
toIrish mythology.The
leprechauns spend all their
time busily making shoes, and
store away all their coins in a
hidden pot of gold at the end
of the rainbow. If ever
captured by a human, the
leprechaun has the magical
power to grant three wishes in
exchange for their release.
Popular depiction shows the
leprechaun as being no taller
than a small child,with a beard
and hat.

6. COMPLETE THE TEXT WITH INFORMATION ABOUT ST.
PATRICK'S DAY
St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day is a _______________
honoring Saint Patrick. People wear
_____________ colored clothing and some
women wear green ____________ in their hair.
People who don’t wear green clothing get
_______________ as a punishment. People
also wear ______________, which are a
symbol of Ireland. As well, there are
____________ on the streets and sometimes
people ______________ the rivers green.

7. COMPLETE THE TEXT WITH INFORMATION
ABOUT ST. PATRICK Sai nt Pat r i c k
____________ Patrick is the
patron saint of ______________.
According to _____________,
Saint Patrick was
______________ in Britain and
then _______________ by pirates
and sold as a _______________
in Ireland. He escaped with
the help of an _____________
and then lived in a
____________ for twelve years
before going back to Ireland.
When he returned to Ireland he
performed many ______________.
According to one myth, Saint
Patrick got rid of all of the
________________ in Ireland.

8. FIND MORE INFORMATION:
ST. PATRICK'S DAY 2012
HISTORY OF ST. PATRICK'S DAY