Every year millions of people dress up and celebrate Irish culture with a drink or two in their hand.

The annual festival is celebrated throughout the UK by the Irish and non-Irish community too.

Local pubs and bars always expect to be very busy on the day and you're likely to see lots of people wearing four-leaf clover hats or emerald green-coloured clothing.

But what's the real story about St Patrick's Day?

Here's everything you need to know.

What is St Patrick's Day?

St Patrick’s Day was originally a religious feast day for St Patrick – a Christian missionary and the patron saint of Ireland.

Although it was originally only celebrated in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland it has since grown into a global celebration of Irish culture, with festivities held across the world.

Who was St Patrick?

St Patrick was a Christian missionary and bishop. He is known as the apostle and patron of Ireland

It is believed his real name was Maewyn Succat and he was said to have lived around 400AD. The date of his birth and death are unclear but some people believe he died on March 17, 493 AD.

He grew up in Roman Britannia which was an area in Great Britain that was governed by the the Roman Empire between 43 - 410 AD.

At the age of 16 Maewyn was captured by raiders and kept as a slave in Mount Slemish, Ireland for six years.

During this time he turned to Christianity to guide him through.

One day he heard a voice telling him he was soon going to go home and that a ship was ready for him. So Patrick escaped, fled 200 miles to a port and persuaded a ship’s captain to allow him on board.

It is believed that he met up with his parents in Wales before travelling to France where he became a priest and later a bishop.

He returned to Ireland years later converting the pagans to Christianity in the northern half of the country.

He would use shamrocks (a sprig of clover) to explain the Holy Trinity to those he preached to, resulting in the widespread presence of the plants on St Patrick’s Day.

It is also believed he performed miracles and built churches across Ireland.

How do you celebrate the day?

The annual event is no longer regarded as simply a religious feast. You can simply check your St Patrick's Day Events on Ticketgateway.com