GET READY to bless your Irish heart and spread cheer today on March 17, for today is the Saint Patricks Day 2010 or the St Patricks Day 2010. Though the day marks the demise of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, it is still celebrated with festive cheer, with dancing, drinking and merrymaking.

The St Patricks Day, which is celebrated in the Lent season, has an interesting history behind it. Saint Patrick, who is venerated on this day, was a fourth century priest, who had been taken prisoner at the age of sixteen by Irish raiders. Taken to Ireland, the prisoner Patrick had been held captive for six years, working as a shepard during that time. He turned to religon for solace and six years later, he is believed to have heard God, telling him to leave Ireland.

Patrick escaped on foot, walking 200 miles to the Irish Coast and escaping to Britain. Here however, he is said to have had another revelation, where an angel asked him to return to Ireland as a missionary, which he did after undergoing religious training.

The devout Irish are celebrating St Patricks Day 2010 by going to church in the morning and participating in full scale celebrations in the afternoon. Feasts of traditional meals are prepared, with Irish Bacon and cabbage or corned beef and cabbage.

Then there are also parades, like the New York City Parade which will take place today, lasting five hours. Similar St Patricks Day parades will happen at Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Savannah.

No Saint Patricks Day is complete without greenery, leprechauns and shamrocks. While a Leprechaun is a mischevious creature with magical powers, shamrocks are good old symbols of Ireland, with three clover leaves, also believed to be an Irish Christian symbol of the Holy Trinity. The colour Green is essential too: While Leprechauns wear green coats and the clover leaf is fresh green, many also go for green coloured ale, while others deck out in green for the parades.