St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration of Irish origin that takes place on 17 March every year. This holiday is known for being a colourful and joyous day of celebration of Irish heritage and culture. The celebration is held in honour of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, who is known for bringing Christianity to the country. Some of the traditions associated with St. Patrick’s Day include wearing green, eating Irish food and attending parades and festivals that take place around the world on this day. In addition, there are many interesting facts about the holiday, such as the fact that it is celebrated in different parts of the world, not just in Ireland.
St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday celebrated on 17 March in honour of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Here are some details about the history, traditions and curiosities of St. Patrick’s Day:
History:
St. Patrick was a Christian missionary who lived in the 5th century and is known for introducing Christianity to Ireland. He is also said to have used the shamrock to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity to the Irish.
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on the date of his death, 17 March, and was originally considered a religious holiday in Ireland. However, as the Irish emigrated to other countries, the holiday spread to other parts of the world.
Traditions:
The colour green is a symbol of St. Patrick’s Day and is said to represent spring and luck. Many people wear green clothing and dye their hair or beards green for the occasion.
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations often include parades with music, dancing and costumes. The largest St. Patrick’s Day parade is held in New York and attracts more than 2 million spectators each year.
Traditional St. Patrick’s Day food includes Irish dishes such as beef stew, soda bread and cabbage pie. It is also common to drink Irish beer or whiskey during the celebrations.
Fun facts:
The Chicago River is dyed green every year for St. Patrick’s Day. The tradition began in 1962 when green dye was accidentally spilled into the river while testing leak detection machinery.
St. Patrick’s Day is a bank holiday in Ireland and in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is also an official holiday in the state of Massachusetts in the United States.
It is said that there are more people of Irish origin in the United States than in Ireland. Therefore, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated with great enthusiasm in the United States, especially in cities such as Boston, Chicago and New York.
In short, St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday that celebrates Irish heritage and the life of Ireland’s patron saint. Celebrations include parades, music, food and drink, and the colour green is an important symbol of the holiday.
History of St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day (in Irish known as Lá Fhéile Pádraig) is a festival of Christian origin celebrated every year on 17 March to commemorate and pay homage to St. Patrick, the patron saint of all Irish people and the protector of the country.
It is Ireland’s most important bank holidays and is celebrated on the same day as the founding of the Republic of Ireland. The significance of the day is that most Irish people are Catholic and St. Patrick was a saint who did much for the country and the people not only of Ireland but also of the world. Since the late 20th century St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated worldwide, and it is largely due to the vast majority of Irish people who have emigrated to different countries around the world bringing this beautiful celebration with them. In the United States and Canada, there is a large Irish community and so St. Patrick’s Day is very strong and special in these countries.
Celebrations that take place on St. Patrick’s day
The St. Patrick’s Day parade in the Irish capital Dublin (if you want to know more about studying and living in Dublin visit this link) is an impressive five day event, to give you an idea of the magnitude of this mega event in 2009 over 700,000 thousand people attended the parade.
There are also other events and parades in various cities and towns in Ireland where large celebrations are held, in Belfast (Northern Ireland) there is a parade where many people from all over the world attend due to its majesty and colourfulness.