Hello and welcome to Spotlight. I'm Joshua Leo.

 

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　　And I'm Christy VanArragon. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

 

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　　Every year, on March 17th, the city of Chicago in the United States does something unusual. They change the colour of the river that runs through the city. They use food colouring to turn the water green! They use about 18 kilograms of this vegetable-based dye for the water. They do this to celebrate an Irish saint - Saint Patrick. But Chicago is only one place that celebrates Saint Patrick - people in cities and countries around the world celebrate him.

 

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　　Saint Patrick's Day parties involve a lot of food and drinks. At these celebrations, one tradition is to wear green. If you do not, someone just may pinch you. They may pull a little bit of skin between two fingers.

 

　　People eat green food and drink green drinks while they celebrate Saint Patrick's Day.

 

　　But who is Saint Patrick? And why do people celebrate him on March seventeenth every year?

 

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　　Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. He is known for his religious work on that island. Historical church documents tell us some things about his life. But he also documented his life and his passion for his Christian faith in his letters.

 

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　　Saint Patrick was born in Britain at the end of the fourth century. At this time, the Roman Empire in Britain was ending. Native tribes from Ireland invaded the land. They stole land, money, animals, objects and even people. When Patrick was sixteen people from Ireland raided his family's home. They took Patrick and held him as a slave. He was kept in Ireland for six years. He worked as a shepherd and spent most of his time out in the fields. Patrick wrote in his letters that he turned to his religion when he felt lonely or scared.

 

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　　After being held for six years, Patrick escaped. In his letters, he writes that he had an unusual dream. In it, he heard the voice of God telling him to leave. So Patrick left. He walked almost 322 kilometres towards the Irish coast. There, he was able to get on a ship to Britain. Patrick studied to become a Christian priest. He lived with other religious men, as a monk. But then, Patrick's writings say that he had another vision, this time from an angel. This angel told Patrick to go back to Ireland.

 

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　　Historical records show that Patrick did return to Ireland. Today, many people think of Ireland as a Christian country. But at that time, the tribal people worshipped nature. There were very few Christians in Ireland. That changed because of Patrick. He shared Christianity with the native people of Ireland.

 

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　　Because Patrick had lived in Ireland for many years, he knew the language and the people. He combined old Irish customs and traditions with the new message about the Christian faith. He did this to help the native people keep their own culture. An example of this would be the fires Patrick made to honour the Easter holiday. Easter is one of the most important Christian holidays. On Easter, Christians celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ - in particular, they celebrate the way Jesus frees all people from sin and death. Easter was not a holiday the Irish were used to celebrating. But the Irish would worship the gods with fire. Saint Patrick used fire in his Easter celebrations, to use these ideas to explain the new religion. This also honoured the local culture.

 

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　　He also added a circle to the normal Christian cross. This became the Celtic cross or the cross of Ireland. The circle was the symbol of the sun. The sun was a powerful Irish symbol for many. Patrick combined the circle and cross. This showed that Jesus Christ was like the sun.

 

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　　St. Patrick is also closely connected to the green shamrock plant. It has three leaves. It is often used as a symbol of Ireland. Some stories suggest that St. Patrick used this plant to teach people a Christian idea about God - the idea of the Trinity.

 

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　　But just how did the world start celebrating St. Patrick's day on March 17th every year? March 17th is the anniversary of St. Patrick's death in the 5th century. The Irish have celebrated this day for over a thousand years. Traditionally, people would attend a religious service early in the day. Then they would return home to eat, drink and dance.

 

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　　Over the centuries this holiday remained a tradition. And as Irish people moved to other countries, the tradition came with them. The first St. Patrick's Day parade was in New York City, in the United States, in the year 1762. Irish soldiers were serving in the English military there. They marched through the streets. This parade helped the soldiers feel a sense of their national culture. They celebrated the parade with Irish symbols, music and food. One of the most popular instruments used in these parades were bagpipes.

 

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　　In the seventeen and eighteen hundreds, large groups of Irish immigrants moved to the United States. This spread Saint Patrick's Day celebrations to many communities. But the United States and Ireland are not the only places that celebrate the holiday. Canada, Australia, Japan and Russia are all countries that celebrate Saint Patrick's Day.

 

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　　But the biggest celebrations are still in Ireland. In the city of Dublin, about one million people take part in Saint Patrick's Festival. This party happens over many days. They celebrate with parades, music, outdoor plays and fireworks.

 

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　　In the past, Saint Patrick's Day was mainly a religious celebration. Until the 1970's, Irish law even said that the bars must be closed on March 17th. But now in most places, it is more a celebration of Ireland and Irish culture. No matter why you celebrate, make sure to wear green on March 17th - or you may get pinched!

 

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　　The writer of this program was Erin Layman. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices were from the United States. Computer users can hear our programs, read our scripts and see our word list on our website at http://www.radio.english.net This .program is called "Saint Patrick and His Holiday".

 

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