St. Patrick's Day occurs on March 17. It is a national holiday in Ireland and commemorates one of its patron saints, St. Patrick. He is believed to have died on March 17 in or around the year 493. He grew up in mainland Britain, but spent time in Ireland as a young man and later as a missionary . According to popular legend, he is buried under Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, County Down, and banished all snakes from Ireland. The "snakes" may refer to pagan worshipers of snake gods.
每年3月17日是圣帕特里克节。这个爱尔兰的全国性节日是为了纪念爱尔兰守护神圣帕特里克。人们认为圣帕特里克于3月17日去世，大约是公元493年。他成长在英国本土，但从年轻的时候就前往了爱尔兰，并成为了一名传教士。根据最普遍的说法，他去世后被葬在唐郡的唐帕特里克的大教堂，并将爱尔兰所有的蛇都驱逐了出去。“蛇”大约是指代信奉蛇神的异教徒。
- 拓展学习：小词详解 | banish
Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St. Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century. Saint Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish, and the ubiquitous wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs has become a feature of the day.
从17世纪开始，人们就会佩戴绿色丝带以及三叶草来庆祝圣帕特里克节。据说圣帕特里克曾用三片叶子的三叶草向爱尔兰的异教徒阐明了圣父、圣子、圣神三位一体的教义，由此，人们普遍使用三叶草或来源于三叶草的设计来庆祝这一天，而这也成为了圣帕特里克节的特色。
March 17 is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland. The degree to which people celebrate St. Patrick's Day varies according to their religious and political affiliations . Those, who believe that Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom, do not generally celebrate the day. Those, who believe that Northern Ireland should become part of a United Ireland often celebrate St. Patrick's Day. A large parade is held in Belfast but the level of public funding it receives depends on which political parties control the local council.
3月17日在北爱尔兰是一个公共假日。拥有不同信仰和政治背景的人们庆祝圣帕特里克节的方式也有所不同。认为北爱尔兰仍然应该是英国一部分的人通常都不庆祝圣帕特里克节，而认为北爱尔兰应该属于爱尔兰的人们通常会庆祝这个节日。这一天在贝尔法斯特会举行大游行，而这一天能收到多少公共资金取决于由哪个政党控制当地市政委员会。
A weekend of celebrations is organized in Nottingham. These include a parade, children's workshops , an arts festival and performances by well-known Irish musicians. There is also a parade, attended by many thousands of people in Birmingham. An Irish festival lasting three days is held in Liverpool.
诺丁汉有持续一周的庆祝活动。这些活动包括游行、儿童文艺汇演、艺术节以及爱尔兰著名音乐家的演出。在伯明翰也有几千人参加的游行。而在利物浦则会举办为期3天的爱尔兰节日庆典。
A whole week of celebrations is organized around St. Patrick's Day in London. These include a parade and a festival held close to, but not always on, March 17. The parade visits Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden and the festival are held in Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Covent Garden. Together, the parade and festival allow people to experience many aspects of Irish culture including food, crafts , dance and music.
在伦敦则有持续整个周末的圣帕特里克节庆祝活动。这些活动包括游行和节日庆典，庆典一般在3月17日左右，并不总是在当天举行。游行队伍会经过特拉法加广场、考文特花园，而节日庆典就在特拉法加广场、莱斯特广场和考文特花园举行。人们通过游行和节日庆典能同时体验到爱尔兰文化的方方面面，如食物、工艺品、舞蹈和音乐等。
