by Carol Ann Benanti

OK. If you're in a party mood, this week you're in your element. Right about now, preparations surrounding St. Patrick's Day are going strong and will no doubt spill over through the weekend. But if it's St. Paddy's Day and the traditional wearin' of the green is here — everyone is Irish on March 17 — you know St. Joseph's Day, March 19, and the season of spring, March 21, is not far behind.

Many may recall St. Patrick as chiefly responsible for converting the Irish to Christianity. Also known as the apostle to the Irish, he founded more than 300 churches during his lifetime. But what was originally set aside as a religious holiday has through the years, grown to become a secular holiday as well. And the feast of St. Joseph, steeped in Sicilian tradition, is a time were loyalists traditionally choose to wear regal red accents.

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Source: http://blog.silive.com/