Fun St. Patrick's Day traditions for any family

How much do you know about St. Patrick? Before we explore some festive traditions to help celebrate his legacy, let’s learn a little bit about the man himself. Revelers who aren’t Catholic might assume that St. Patrick was a devout Irishman. (You know, what with being an actual saint and all). But in fact, he was neither—at least not to start with. Born in Britain to a noble family, a teenage Paddy was kidnapped by Irish pirates and enslaved for the next 17 years. Although he had been an atheist, he reconnected with his Catholic birthright while in captivity in Ireland, and after his escape from slavery, he studied to become a priest. Later, after being ordained as a bishop, he traveled to the country as a missionary. St. Patrick spent the remainder of his life spreading the gospel of Christ and supporting the Christians of Ireland. The first American parade in his honor took place in 1766 when Irish soldiers in the British Army took to the streets to show their pride. However, the saint had been celebrated—and by Protestants, no less—as early as 1737 in what was then known as the 13 Colonies.