St. Patrick's Day is one of those goofy observances where people who aren't Irish act like they are and those who are have another excuse to drink (although a true Irishman (or woman) doesn't really need an excuse to imbibe).

But the real sham of this day of frivolity and misconception is the fact that St. Patrick isn't even a Saint.

Reports Christianity Today:

First, a few misconceptions about Patrick:

Patrick isn't really a Saint with a capital S, having never been officially canonized by Rome. And Patrick couldn't have driven the snakes out of Ireland because there were never any snakes there to begin with. He wasn't even the first evangelist to Ireland (Palladius had been sent in 431, about five years before Patrick went). Patrick isn't even Irish. He's from what's now Dumbarton, Scotland (just northwest of Glasgow).

As Oscar Wilde once said:

The Irish aren't quite sure what it is that they believe in but they are more than willing to fight and die for it anyway.

What else do you expect from the Irish, who celebrate a "holy day" dedicated to a Scotsman?