The great snake Lwa, Damballah, is syncretized with St. Patrick. It is common to serve Damballah on this day. St. Patrick was credited for "driving the snakes out of Ireland." The syncretization came due to the fact that pictures of St. Patrick often contain pictures of snakes. It is important to remember that most syncretizations of lwa with Catholic Saints were originated as a way to hide the practitioner's true intention to serve a particular lwa.
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