World Celebrations: St. Patrick's Day

March 17th, 2017

Image Source: Tumisu, Pixabay

In contrast to the multi-coloured Holi festival earlier this week, revelers dress all in green this Friday for our next World Tradition - this time, St. Patrick’s Day.

St. Patrick’s Day falls on March 17th every year and marks the death of the eponymous patron saint of Ireland in the 5th Century.

What happens on St Patrick's Day?

The day began as a religious celebration in the 17th century but has evolved over the years into a variety of different parties and festivals around the world. It falls during Lent, the austere period before Easter when many Christians, especially Roman Catholics give up alcohol or meat, so for one day the Lent restrictions were lifted and people enjoyed feasting and drinking.

St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland as well as the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. It is the most celebrated festival of its kind around the world, perhaps due to the large Irish diaspora. There is a massive turnout in Ireland of course with the most famous celebration centering on Dublin, but just as big parties happen in the likes of the United States, particularly in New York and Chicago. These two host 5 hour-long parades and Chicago dyes its river green. It is in the U.S. that parades became a popular part of St Patrick’s day celebrations, beginning in the 18th century. These often take place the Sunday before St Patrick’s Day. Many community groups and individuals dress in green costumes and parade through their town, and hold parties in bars, restaurants or at home.

Image by Max Talbot-Minkin (via Flickr)

Whilst the biggest celebrations of the Irish culture happen in Ireland, the UK, US, Canada and Australia, it is also popular in the likes of Buenos Aires in Argentina, Singapore and Moscow, Russia where there has been an ever growing parade since 1992.

The celebrations have come in for criticism over recent years for being tacky, commercial and promoting drunk and disorderly behaviour. Others think the festival promotes stereotypical notions and symbols of the Irish, like Leprechauns.

Who Was St Patrick?

It is said that St Patrick was from a rich family in Roman Britain and was kidnapped and taken to Ireland when he was 16. The story goes that God spoke to him and told him he could escape if he fled to the coast, where there would be a boat waiting for him. He did this and went home for a time but then returned to Ireland in order to introduce Christianity to Ireland.

In his teachings he used the Shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity which is where many believe the Shamrock as an Irish symbol as well as the significance of the colour green come from.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to everyone who is celebrating!

Image Source: by Rabbid007 (Own work) CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons