Today is Saint Patrick's Day. It is celebrated around the world every year on March 17. In Hong Kong, and elsewhere, Irish people wear green, the national colour, to honour the anniversary of the death of their patron saint in the fifth century. Traditionally, children and their parents have parties with special food and drink, which is sometimes coloured green. Often there is also Irish dancing accompanied by musicians playing traditional instruments. Last year, close to one million people took part in Ireland's St Patrick's Festival in Dublin, a celebration over several days featuring concerts, outdoor theatre productions, fireworks and parades. But the first Saint Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States more than 200 years ago. First soldiers, then Irish immigrants used it to remind themselves of their distant homeland. Nowadays in Hong Kong, the Irish Society organises a special service at the Catholic Cathedral and members lay a wreath at the Cenotaph in Central. There is also a ball held in a grand hotel on the weekend closest to the actual day. Surprisingly, Patrick originated far from his adopted country - either in Scotland or Wales - and his given name was Maewyn. He lived an unremarkable life until, at the age of 16, he was abducted from his village by Irish bandits. They took him to Ireland where he was sold as a slave and spent six years as a shepherd. During this time he studied the pagan Druid religion of his captors and learned Gaelic, the local language. He said he heard the voice of God telling him to leave the country and so he escaped by walking more than 200 miles to the coast, found a boat and sailed back home. From there he went to France to study in a monastery with St Germain, bishop of Auxerre, for many years. It was there that he claimed to hear God's voice once more, this time telling him to return to Ireland to convert the people to Christianity. When he did so as bishop of Ireland, he was very successful during the 30 years of his mission and this upset many Druids, who arrested Patrick several times. He established monasteries throughout the country and set up many Christian schools and churches. Irish people have a deserved reputation as imaginative and entertaining storytellers. There are many stories about the life of St Patrick. One famous one tells how he used a three-leafed shamrock to explain the Christian faith's idea of three gods in one (the father, the son and the Holy Spirit) to the King of Laoghaire, who then gave him permission to continue to spread Christianity across the country. Many people wear a shamrock on St Patrick's Day to commemorate this. There are also myths about Patrick, which include the claim that he could raise people from the dead. He is also said to have given a sermon on a hilltop that drove all the snakes from Ireland. That story is spoiled by the fact there were no snakes there at the time anyway. The nickname for someone called Patrick is Paddy. So if somebody tells you they are celebrating St Paddy's Day, you will know what they mean.
