There are many legends surrounding the life of St. Patrick. Of course, the one that we're most interested in is his reputed "mass exodus" of snakes from Ireland. Here's the short version:

It is believed that in 441 A.D., St. Patrick fasted and prayed for 40 days at the summit of Croagh Patrick ("the Reek") in County Mayo. During this time, as blackbirds assaulted him, St. Patrick continued to pray and ring a bell as a proclamation of his faith. In answer to his prayers, an angel appeared to tell him that the Irish people would retain their Christian faith for all time. Today, more than 100,000 pilgrims visit the Reek annually to follow in St. Patrick's footsteps. It was while he was atop the mountain that St. Patrick drove all the snakes in Ireland to the sea, effectively saving Ireland from some kind of snake revolution.

In all seriousness, historians generally agree that this myth serves as a metaphor for St. Patrick's good works. Since snakes are a common pagan symbol — and seeing as how they are not found in Ireland — the tale symbolizes St. Patrick driving paganism out of Ireland.

If you need a little extra luck - and really, who couldn't use a little extra luck? Here are a few things you can do today:

1. Find a four-leaf clover. The Druids believed that a four-leaf clover could help in spotting witches or other demons. Some modern-day spiritualists claim that a four-leaf clover releases energy and helps one's judgment. Yet others feel that finding a four-leaf clover brings good fortune, not just on St. Patrick's Day.
2. Wear green: This color represents Ireland (the "Emerald Isle"), the shamrock, and spring. It is as closely associated with St. Patrick's Day as red is with Valentine's Day. Many schoolchildren and others — Irish or not — wear green on St. Patrick's Day.
3. Kiss the Blarney Stone: This famous stone is set in one of the walls in the tower of the Blarney Castle. It's thought that an old woman cast a spell on the stone as a reward to the king for saving someone from drowning. Under the spell, the king spoke eloquently. According to legend, kissing the Blarney Stone brings the kisser "persuasive eloquence" ("blarney"). Of course, kissing the Blarney Stone is no easy task - you have to bend over backwards and hold onto a metal bar due to the stone's unusual location.

The Pack at PetsWeekly wishes you all a very happy St. Patrick's Day - drink a green beer for us because as you know, pets are NOT allowed to have green beer. (Green eggs or green rice might be okay though.)