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It's a fact: St. Patrick was no snake charmer

March 15, 2011 at 8:45PM
300 dpi 3 col x 6.5 in / 146x165 mm / 497x562 pixels Amy Raudenbush color illustration of St. Patrick listening to a mp3 player while chasing snakes out of Ireland. Philadelphia Daily News 2004 <p> KEYWORDS: krtstpatrick krtfeatures features krtnational national krtworld world krtreligion religion krt aspecto aspectos baile christianity culebra dance grabado illustration ilustracion ireland irish irlanda irlandes mp3 ipod music musica raudenbush coddington religion saint st. patrick santo serpie
300 dpi 3 col x 6.5 in / 146x165 mm / 497x562 pixels Amy Raudenbush color illustration of St. Patrick listening to a mp3 player while chasing snakes out of Ireland. Philadelphia Daily News 2004 KEYWORDS: krtstpatrick krtfeatures features krtnational national krtworld world krtreligion religion krt aspecto aspectos baile christianity culebra dance grabado illustration ilustracion ireland irish irlanda irlandes mp3 ipod music musica raudenbush coddington religion saint st. patrick santo serpiente snake staff krtholiday holiday krtstpatrick st. patrick's day st saint patricks krtwinter winter 2004 krt2004 (Philadelphia Daily News/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

No need to turn green with envy of your Irish friends -- everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day. Come Thursday, show off your knowledge with these interesting facts:

1 According to legend, St. Patrick drove the snakes out from Ireland and into the sea. In reality, there were never any snakes in Ireland.

2 St. Patrick was actually born in Great Britain, not Ireland. As a teenager, he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland by Irish raiders. He was enslaved as a shepherd for six years before escaping back to Britain.

3 When he returned to Britain, Patrick had a religious dream that told him to go back to Ireland to teach the Christian faith. He completed 15 years of religious training, working as a Catholic missionary and later as a bishop.

4 The original St. Patrick's Day honored the day of his death, March 17, in the fifth century. It was a religious holiday and later a feast day in Ireland because he brought Christianity to the country.

5St. Patrick's birth name was Maewyn Succat. His name was changed to Patricius, or Patrick, by the Catholic church.

6 Celts revered the shamrock because of its three leaves, a sacred number in Celtic mythology. They believed shamrocks had magical powers. St. Patrick used some of the pagan beliefs to teach them about Christianity. In this case, the shamrock represented the Holy Trinity.

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