Poll: How Celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

We've heard that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland, and with a name like Patrick, we supposed that he was Irish.

But a few minutes with Google leads us to understand that, according to popular legend, he was born around 385 in Britain, the son of Roman colonists, and was kidnapped around age 14 and taken to Ireland, where he was enslaved as a shepherd until he escaped at age 20. He is believed to have later returned to Ireland and converted the Druids and other pagans to Christianity. He is also said to have used the shamrock to explain the Trinity, which explains why the shamrock has been associated with him and the Irish since then, according to Catholic Online.

And while St. Patrick's Day is often regarded as an occasion for drinking, wearing green, celebrating Irish pride and holding parades, there are also other ways that people celebrate it. We'd like to know your favorite way in the poll at the bottom of this article.

Many flock to bars where Irish whiskey or green beer is being poured. We have at least six bars in El Cerrito and Kensington:

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Since St. Patrick was a saint, some may go to church in his name. We have two Roman Catholic churches in town:

Another way to mark the holiday is to attend a special event being held that day, some of which are adding a St. Patrick's flavor to the occasion. Here are some we know about:

Some folks look forward chiefly to a special meal – say, corned beef and cabbage – at home or in a favorite restaurant. We found out that  is offering a special dessert menu with a St. Patrick's theme. 

Other celebrants may feel that wearing green is the best part, while still others may find their favored revelry in playing or listening to Irish music.

So we'd like to know what activity represents your favorite or foremost way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Please take our poll below, and feel welcome to describe or explain your choice in the comments section. If it involves any of our local establishments, you're invited also to add reviews or ratings to their listings in our directory, which can be found under the Places tab on our home page.

If you know anything we missed that should be on the list, let us know in the comments below.