新闻英语：“戴绿帽子的节日”圣帕特里克节（在线收听）

　　St. Patrick's Day is a global celebration of Irish culture, one that’s deeply rooted in arts, music and literature. The traditional festival is also a shot in the arm for Ireland’s tourism industry.

　　Tourism is worth 3 and a half billion euro to the Irish economy. Employing 200,000 people. Last year alone the small island attracted 7.3 million International tourists. A major allure is Ireland’s national day, St. Patrick’s Day, celebrated widely across the globe.

　　Green projections light up buildings in Dublin for St Patrick's Day.

　　Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive, Tourism Ireland, said, "We have seen the recovery of tourism numbers in the last two years. We’ve seen them grow for many markets. For example from longer haul markets such as china and India and Asia we have seen record numbers coming to Ireland in the course of 2012. And we expect to see that record again in 2013 being broken. St Patrick’s Day comes at a great time of the year. St Patrick is our patron saint and to have a national day where other countries around the world stop everything and have parades, civic leaders toast your country it’s something that other countries are green with envy about."

　　The Government is spending 35,000 euro on a global greening imitative. That will see major landmarks and iconic buildings worldwide go green on March the 17th.

　　Starting 4 years ago with the Sydney opera house, the greening has now expanded internationally with over 50 buildings going green this year, including for the first time the pyramids of Giza in Egypt and the Christ the redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.

　　Edelle Moss, Acting Ceo, St. Patrick’s Festival, said, "We normally bring in 120,000 but this year with all the efforts and all the tourism agencies and the marketing that has gone on around the world and our own marketing that has gone on it’s going to be a lot bigger."

　　To coincide with celebrations the government here is pushing trade and enterprise globally.

　　Alan Hobbs, Head of Communications, Enterprise Ireland, said, "Around St Patrick’s week it’s a particular opportunity where we have a huge concentration of globally ministers leading delegations to various countries including the U.S and we have planned over 150 business events to coincide with the visits of 19 ministers to 21 countries."

　　St. Patricks day is a unique asset for Ireland. One that’s impossible to put a financial value on. But Ireland is using it as an opportunity now more than ever to promote not only tourism but trade and to encourage people to invest in Ireland’s economic recovery.

文化链接：

　　公元432年，圣帕特里克受教皇派遣前往爱尔兰劝说爱尔兰人皈依基督教。他从威克洛上岸后，当地愤怒的异教徒企图用石头将他砸死。[来源请求]但圣帕特里克临危不惧，当即摘下一棵三叶苜蓿，形象地阐明了圣父、圣子、圣灵三位一体的教义。他雄辩的演说使爱尔兰人深受感动，接受了圣帕特里克主施的隆重洗礼。公元493年3月17日，圣帕特里克逝世，爱尔兰人为了纪念他，将这一天定为圣帕特里克节。

　　这一节日5世纪末期起源于爱尔兰，这一天后来成为爱尔兰人的国庆节，同时也是北爱尔兰的银行休假日与爱尔兰共和国、蒙特塞拉特和加拿大纽芬兰与拉布拉多省的法定节假日。在加拿大其他地区、英国、澳大利亚、美国和新西兰，圣帕特里克节虽然广为庆祝，但不是法定节假日。

　　美国的圣帕特里克节这一天，人们通常要举行游行、教堂礼拜和聚餐等活动。美国的爱尔兰人喜欢佩带三叶苜蓿，用爱尔兰的国旗颜色——绿黄两色装饰房间，身穿绿色衣服，并向宾客赠送三叶苜蓿饰物等。

　　除了服装外，食品、玩具等在节日期间都会带上绿色。圣帕特里克节前后，爱尔兰酒吧总是挤满顾客，其他各种酒吧也比平时多了不少人，酒吧在节日期间还会出售特制的啤酒，颜色是绿色的，这种绿色啤酒很受欢迎，口味也很独特，销量很好。