NEW YORK, March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day. The holiday is celebrated throughout the United States and much of the world. But while everyone may be Irish on St. Patrick's Day, most know very little about the patron saint of Ireland.

The man whose day we celebrate lived 16 centuries ago; that's why it's difficult to separate historical fact from myth. Nevertheless, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, findingDulcinea lists the Top 9 Things You Didn't Know About St. Patrick's Day:

1. St. Patrick's first trip to Ireland was as a captive. When he was 16,Irish raiders snatched him from the home of his wealthy parents and brought him to Ireland, where he lived for six years before making his escape. He returned to Ireland many years later as a missionary.

2. St. Patrick did not drive the snakes out of Ireland; in fact, thereweren't any there. However, he did spend six years as a shepherd. He may not have performed any magic while tending the flock, but according to his "Confessions," he prayed every day and the solace he drew from religion inspired him to join the priesthood.

3. A Shamrock should only have three leaves, according to St. Patrick. It was the symbol he used to explain the idea of the Holy Trinity when he was teaching Irish pagans about Christianity.

4. St. Patrick created the Celtic cross by combining the cross and the pagan image of the sun, in an attempt to ease the pre-Christian Irish into adopting his religion. He also incorporated bonfires into the Easter celebration because the Irish used fire to worship their gods.

5. The first-ever St. Patrick's Day parade was held in New York City in 1762. Irish soldiers serving in the English military united and marched to share their culture.

6. Irish soda bread does not contain raisins! It doesn't have butter or eggs, either. In fact, you won't find anything called "Irish soda bread" for sale in Ireland, because it's not considered much of a delicacy. Consisting simply of flour, sour milk, salt and baking soda,real Irish soda bread is nothing like the cake-like treat we eat here. In fact, it becomes as hard as rock about an hour after baking.

7. St. Patrick helped preserve the works of Plato and Cicero. He and other monks in Ireland spent years making handwritten copies of ancient texts and spread them throughout Europe when the manuscripts were complete.

8. The city of Chicago dyes the Chicago River green for the holiday. In 1962, the city dumped 100 pounds of dye into the river, and it was green for a week. Now it only uses 40 pounds; enough to keep the Chicago River showing off its Irish pride for just a few hours.

9. The Irish of Butte, Montana have the best celebration on this side of the Atlantic, according to the Butte Web site. Members of the Irish diasporas predominantly populate the town of 40,000; each year 30,000 people come to watch the St. Patrick's Day parade. The town's Ancient Order of Hibernians leads the parade, and revelers can touch Irish soil at nearby pubs.

To visit findingDulcinea's St. Patrick's Day Web Guide, click here.

For a related Web Guide, visit findingDulcinea's City of Boston Web Guide