Q: I know St. Patrick was Irish, but how do shamrocks and little green men have anything to do with the Saint?
A: St. Patrick's Day is a (Gal.4:8-10)pagan celebration/festival that consists of pagan traditions. http://www.christianwalks.org/churchgodpro/pagonholidays.htm http://www.helium.com/tm/200588/mythology-pagan-rituals-surround http://www.giveshare.org/HolyDay/worldsholidays.html "A three-leafed clover, the shamrock is the national emblem of Ireland. Although it is widely believed that St. Patrick used the shamrock to illustrate the Christian doctrine of the trinity, this idea cannot be proven. In fact the first written mention of this story did not appear until nearly a thousand years after Patrick's death. The shamrock, which was also called the "seamroy" by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the seventeenth century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule." http://www.christianwalks.org/churchgodpro/pagonholidays.htm Leprechauns ""The original Irish name for these figures of folklore is "lobaircin," meaning "small-bodied fellow." Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies. Though only minor figures in Celtic folklore, leprechauns were known for their trickery, which they often used to protect their much-fabled treasure. Leprechauns had nothing to do with St. Patrick or the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, a Catholic holy day. In 1959, Walt Disney released a film called Darby O'Gill & the Little People, which introduced America to a very different sort of leprechaun than the cantankerous little man of Irish folklore. This cheerful, friendly leprechaun is a purely American invention, but has quickly involved into an easily recognizable symbol of both St. Patrick's Day and the Ireland in general."" http://www.christianwalks.org/churchgodpro/pagonholidays.htm