St. Patrick’s Day takes place today, March 17, and it is the feast day of St. Patrick. This event is widely celebrated around the globe, with the largest celebrations taking place in Ireland, the UK, and the US. In fact, it is the most celebrated national festival in the world. Before you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year, you might be interested in a bit of history.
10 fun facts about St. Patrick’s Day
- St. Patrick’s Day is a public holiday for the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland, and Labrador, and Montserrat.
- Though St. Patrick’s Day is not a national holiday in the United States, it is widely celebrated from coast-to-coast.
- St. Patrick is the patron Saint of Ireland.
- It is believed that St. Patrick was actually born in Britain, but was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland.
- We celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th because it is believed that this is the day on which St. Patrick died.
- St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated sometime in the ninth or tenth century.
- Parades take place in several cities around the world on St. Patrick’s Day, but the first one took place in the United States in 1762 when Irish soldiers in the English military paraded through New York City.
- It is traditional to eat corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day in the United States. Irish immigrants in New York were the first to substitute corned beef for the traditional but expensive Irish bacon.
- It is widely believed that St. Patrick banished the snakes from Ireland. However, there never were snakes in Ireland. The philosophy of banishing “snakes” is a metaphor for the eradication of pagan ideology.
- Because St. Patrick’s Day falls during the Christian season of Lent, prohibitions against the consumption of meat are waived in favor of a celebration of the feast day.
We hope you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the manner of your choosing. However, celebrate safe, and remember to do something kind for someone else!