US PRESIDENT CELEBRATES SAINT PATRICK S DAY COMMEMORATING THE IRISH CULTURE

USPA NEWS - Today is St Patrick's Day, on March 17, remembers one of Ireland´s patron saints, St Patrick. It largely celebrates Irish-American culture in the United States.It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora around the world, especially in UK, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia.

The US President Obama, celebrated the Saint Patrick´s Day by drinking some Irish beer, wearung a green tie and declared : "For the story of the Irish in America is a story of overcoming hardship through strength, and sacrifice, and faith, and family. It´s an idea central to Saint Patrick himself“”faith in the unseen; a belief in something better around the bend."------------------------------ SAINT PATRICK´S DAY CELEBRATES PATRICK THE PATRON SAINT OF IRELAND Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, "the Day of the Festival of Patrick"), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385““461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, céilithe, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Christians also attend church services and the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day, which has encouraged and propagated the holiday's tradition of alcohol consumption.--------------------------------------------------------------- SAINT PATRICK CELEBRATION IN THE US US Celebrates St Patrick's Day as a tribute to the Irish American community. Celebrations concentrate on Irish themed parties, drinks and food. Many people get into the spirit by dressing in green clothing and eating green colored food. Irish clubs and pubs often hold parties or have special deals. Large street parades mark St Patrick's Day in places like: New York of course, but also Savannah, Chicago, Boston, Houston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Denver, Detroit, Toronto, New Orleans and Seattle. Water is dyed green in public places in some towns. The most notable body of water that was dyed green was the Chicago River in 2005.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ST PATRICK IS A BANK HOLIDAY IN IRELAND BUT NOT IN THE US-------------------------------------------------------- Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St Patrick's Day is not a federal holiday in the United States. Schools, businesses and organizations are open as usual. Public transport systems run on their regular schedules. There may be some local disruption to traffic due to St Patrick's Day parades. This is particularly true in cities with a large Irish-American population, including New York, New Orleans and Seattle. The parades may be on or around March 17, so it is a good idea to check local sources for the exact location, date and time. During the parades, the most common symbol to be noticed is the shamrock. The shamrock is the leaf of the clover plant and a symbol of the Holy Trinity. There are also many brands of beer associated with Irish culture especially at St Patrick “˜s Day. Other symbols seen on St Patrick´s Day include the harp, which was used in Ireland for centuries, as well as the leprechaun and a pot of gold that it hides.