St. Patrick’s Day is March 17th, and it is a "day for wearing green" and other Irish traditions. Even though the patron saint St. Patrick was not born in Ireland, everything that is Green which symbolizes spring and prosperity, fun and Irish, can be worn or used to celebrate this holiday, a celebration for all ages.  Here are some entertaining St. Patrick’s Day recipes and party ideas:

A few drops of green food coloring goes into anything you might want green for St. Patrick’s Day, even a mug of draft beer. Anything made with Irish cream or Irish whiskey has the Irish spirit, too.

Authentic Corned Beef and Cabbage

Corned beef brisket, about 4 lbs.
1 juice orange
18-20 whole cloves
1 tsp. whole yellow mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
1/2 tsp. whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. whole coriander

Put corned beef brisket into large pot for cooking. Take cloves and insert them, then sprinkle remaining spices on. Cover brisket with water, bring to boil, then simmer for 3 hours or until tender.

3 lbs. small potatoes, peeled
2 1/2 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 medium head cabbage

About 40 minutes before beef is finished, boil a large pot of water and cook potatoes and carrots. Add cabbage about 10 minutes before you're ready to serve as it doesn't need to cook long. Drain vegetables.

Arrange meat and vegetables on a platter and serve with your favorite mustard.

The tradition of St. Patrick's Day began hundreds of years ago when a boy in Roman England was captured and taken to Ireland where he found God.  It is said that St. Patrick could hear from the angels, and that he had raised people from the dead.  He was a very active missionary throughout Ireland for 30 years, and that is why he is called the patron saint of Ireland.  There have been many legends attached to this saint, and they have lasted throughout the centuries.  This holiday began as a Holy Day in the Catholic Church, but over the years this religious Catholic saint's day has turned into a more secular celebration of the upcoming new spring.

 Here are 10 things to know about St. Patrick's Day:

• March 17th, the day of celebration, is the day of Patrick's death.
• St. Patrick, the patron saint of the Irish, was not from Ireland.
• Patrick was an old time missionary in Ireland during the 4th century.
• He brought many people to conversion and into the Christian religion.
• The Shamrock, symbol of St. Patrick's Day, was a plant with three leaves that Patrick used to demonstrate to the pagans the trinity of God: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
• Maewyn is the name St. Patrick was born with.  His name was changed by the Bishop in a monastery in France, after he escaped his captivity.  He was not religious at all when he was a child.
• The first St. Paddys day parade in America was in 1737, 40 years before the Revolutionary War.
• The first day of spring is March 21st and this could be the reason St. Patrick's Day celebrations have caught on so big.
•  Everyone turns Irish for a day to just wear green, the sign of life.
• Irish dishes include corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, Irish cream pie, Irish soda bread, scones, Irish cheese bread, and all of these would be a good choice on St. Patrick's Day.

Supermarkets and floral shops offer many arrangements for special occasions. When the holidays roll around, it is easy to find a wide selection of festive bouquets for everything from business events to parties at home. Many people know that during Christmas there are many floral arrangements featuring festive colors and decorative pieces. What many do not know, is that many shops have beautiful bouquets for smaller holidays as well. St. Patrick's Day is known for its vibrant spirit of green and leprechauns. Giving somebody a floral arrangement of eye-catching green St. Patrick's Day flowers and fun decorations can be a great way to give life into the holiday and brighten their St. Patrick's Day as well.

The majority of bouquets found around this festive holiday come in a bright green color. While many flowers do not naturally come in green, florists will add food coloring while they are growing to turn them a rich green shade. Everything from carnations to violets can be found in green around this holiday. Many people agree that a bouquet of similar looking flowers in the same color can be an unattractive addition to their home. Mixing together different types of flowers or colors can turn a simple bouquet of St. Patrick's Day Flowers into a beautiful bouquet that will last for a long time to come in the receivers mind.

Many people give them for personal reasons and don't think of celebrating holidays with them. Attending a party or get-together is a nice excuse to give the host a gift. A beautiful floral arrangement is a practical gift because it looks nice and is not too expensive. Guests at a holiday party typically thank the host by bringing along an appetizer or a dessert. This could actually be a bad gift to give, unless the host requested that people bring along some food. The dishes can often go to waste if there is too much or it could overshadow the host's cooking. A beautiful floral arrangement is a festive gift to give when attending a get-together or dinner party. Many people decide to throw parties for St. Patrick's Day, where dinner is served and drinks are shared. Bringing festive St. Patrick's Day Flowers of green and white shows the guest's appreciation for the invitation.

Choosing St. Patrick's Day flowers makes the holiday even more enjoyable for the receiver of the gift. Floral shops offer a variety of bouquets, some that are very affordable and more extravagant ones for more. Choosing a bouquet which has the types of flowers the receiver likes and in bright colors makes St. Patrick's Day even more memorable. For more information on Hampton flowers delivery please visit http://www.norfolkflorist.com/.

The hugely popular St. Patrick's Day celebration comes every year in the the month of March. St. Patrick, for those who do not know, was the Saint known for ridding Ireland of snakes according to legend. The holiday is celebrated all over the world.

There is a saying that "there's a little Irish in all of us" and since the time of Irish immigrants coming into the United States there has been an enormous interest in Irish culture in the country.

In this day and age with the advent of the internet there is pressure sometimes to buy what we want straight from the source via a website, in this case from Ireland. Due to the fact that Americans have adopted St. Patrick's Day, someone in the U.S. can get Irish gifts within the continental United States and get a much quicker delivery. This will save you time and money as well as some degree of frustration.

If you have decided that you want to buy an Irish gift, one of the best ways of doing so is to shop online. There are numerous sources online for Irish gifts for the St. Patrick's Day holiday.

Here are a few ideas for Irish gifts. The Irish are known for wool clothing such as tweed caps and beautiful handmade sweaters. These are unique and high quality gifts.

Another popular Irish gift is the Shamrock, the Irish symbol of luck that is known the world over.

Irish flags are another popular gift especially for those of Irish heritage.

There are many varied gifts that are popular from Irish culture and we can't possibly cover them all here, but you can't go wrong buying gifts of Celtic origin. Celtic lace, crystals, and candles make great Irish gifts.

St. Patrick's Day is a holiday for both adults and children. It doesn't matter if you're Irish or Italian, you still get to wear the green and look for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Putting together St. Patrick Day Dinners is a snap.

Traditional Irish St. Patrick's Menu
Corned beef and cabbage: add carrots and potatoes. Believe it or not, kids like corned beef and will most likely eat two out of the three side dishes, especially if displayed in separate dishes. You can buy prepared corned beef at the grocery store deli. The potatoes can be ready to heat and serve. Carrots can be carrot sticks or baby carrots. Serve with bread or rolls. This is an easy St Patrick's Day dinner if you don't want to cook.

All American St. Patrick's Menu
Hot dogs served with pickle relish, "green" ketchup and "green" mustard. Add liquid green food coloring to change both to green colors. Ketchup takes more color to change and is sort of a brownish green. Be sure to label them, they end up looking the same.

Cole slaw can be store bought or homemade. Homemade is one package of shredded cabbage or bagged coleslaw mix. Add 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and a tablespoon of sugar. Mix well. Salt to taste.

Use crackers with green cream cheese spread or cheese wiz/spray sprinkled with dried or fresh parsley.

Green apple salad: Here is a fast easy St Patrick's Day Recipe: 3 chopped green apples with skin on, 1 cup of chopped celery, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 1 cup of green grapes, 1/4-1/2 cup of mayo. Salt and pepper if desired. Mix everything together in a bowl with a fair amount of mayo coating all ingredients. Use enough mayo so that the ingredients can absorb the mayo. Refrigerate for at least two hours.

Italian St. Patrick's Menu
Spinach pasta with Alfredo sauce. Sprinkle minced parsley or basil over top for more "green" effect or your choice of plain pasta with pesto sauce. Serve pesto on the side if you want to have plain pasta for the children available, although kids like pesto sauce.

Baked French bread: Take loaf of French bread and cut lengthwise. Spread butter or margarine on both halves. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese, parsley, and basil. Bake in a 350 degree oven watching carefully. Bake until toasted.

Cooked asparagus or broccoli with melted Velveeta cheese. Caesar salad or simple garden salad with Italian dressing.

Mexican Food St. Patrick's Menu
Tostadas: Top corn tostadas with warm refried beans, cheddar cheese and shredded lettuce. Top with green salsa or verde sauce. You can add taco seasoned hamburger if you like, just end up with the green lettuce and salsa on the top.

Cheese Quesadillas topped with sprinkled parsley or cilantro.

Nacho cheese dip: Melted pasteurized process cheese spread with green color added.

Guacamole: Homemade or store bought. Guacamole is easy to make, simply mash an avocado. Add finely chopped onions and tomatoes and hot sauce. Serve with tortilla chips

Corn muffins- Use favorite corn muffin mix add diced green bell pepper or chopped cilantro, jalapeno and/or cheese. Any combination works well. You can add some green food coloring if you like. Bake following the muffin mix directions.

Dee Power is the author of several nonfiction books. She loves to cook healthy dinner recipes, http://www.deesdeliciousdinners.com and come up with party ideas for kids, http://www.partyideaskids.com. She lives with her two dogs, Rose the Irish Setter and Kate, the English Springer Spaniel.