According to legend, it was St. Patrick who brought Christianity to the pagan island, built hundreds of churches and baptized hundreds of thousands of Irish. Legend has it that with the help of a three-leaf clover, St. Patrick explained the concept of the Holy Trinity to people: "Just as three leaves can grow from one stem, so God can be one in three persons."
Another symbol of the holiday is the figure of a leprechaun, a fairy-tale shoemaker who owns a hidden pot of gold. Leprechauns are great tricksters, and their gold can disappear – which thanks to "Harry Potter" any child now knows.
St. Patrick's Day is widely celebrated by the large Irish diaspora around the world, especially in the UK, Canada, USA, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. As RFI notes, St. Patrick's Day has long crossed the borders of the country and has become a kind of international day of Ireland around the world.