5 Fun Facts About St. Patrick's Day St. Patrick's Day has some
funny traditions. CREDIT: Milleflore Images | Shutterstock Every
year on March 17, millions of people gussy themselves up in
green attire, hold big parades and drink lots of beer, all in
the name of an old Irish saint. But what's the history of this
emerald-hued holiday, and why do we celebrate it with shamrocks
and alcohol? Who was St. Patrick? St. Patrick was a Christian
missionary, bishop and a patron saint of Ireland. He was born in
Roman Britain to a wealthy family near the end of the fourth
century. At age 16, he was captured by Irish raiders and brought
to Ireland, where he spent six years in captivity, working as a
shepherd. He became a devout Christian and, it's believed, began
to dream of converting the Irish to Christianity. He then
escaped back to England. He wrote that a voice — God's — spoke
to him in a dream telling him to leave Ireland. After reaching
England, Patrick described having a second dream in which an
angel told him to go