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Improving Your Knowledge of St. Patrick's Day History

St. Patrick's Day, celebrated each year on March 17th, is a holiday that commemorates the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. For thousands of years, the Irish have celebrated this day, the anniversary of his death. Traditionally, Irish families would go to church in the morning to observe and honor the holiday of Lent. In the evening, they would celebrate with the blessing of the church, as Lent prohibitions were lifted and people ate, drank and made merry.

Although St. Patrick's Day is associated with enjoying Irish alcohol, Irish pubs were closed on March 17th until as recently as the 1970s! In fact, not until 1995 did the Irish government use the holiday as a major tourist attraction for enhancing the celebration and boosting the economy. Today, St. Patrick's Day is a national holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Montserrat, Newfoundland and Labrador. While it's not considered a federal holiday in the US, it is still widely celebrated across the nation with various parades and festivals.

International St. Patrick's Day Festivals
St. Patrick's Day festivals are filled with corned beef, shamrocks, food, drink and tremendous celebration. In fact, this holiday is celebrated throughout the world in places such as the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Japan, Singapore and Moscow. In Canada, celebration of St. Patrick's Day began as early as 1759 with the Irish soldiers who were abroad. Since as far back as 1824, large, spectacular parades have been a major part of Montreal's celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

In Great Britain, the Queen Mother would collect special bowls filled with shamrocks as part of the St. Patrick's Day celebration. She would then present them to the members of the Irish Guard, a regiment of the British Army. Today, Birmingham, London and Coatbridge all hold their own unique annual parades. Another distinctly British St. Patrick's Day tradition is the Guinness Hat, a hat awarded at various local pubs to the person who can consume the most pints of Guinness. The Cheltenham Festival's famous horse races are another tradition associated with the English celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

And, of course, the United States continues to dive wholeheartedly into the Irish celebration by painting traffic stripes and dying major rivers green. Some professional baseball teams also take part in the celebration by wearing green uniforms! The United States has been an eager and strong supporter of the Saint Patrick's Day history and celebration. In fact, the first official parade took place in New York City, not Ireland, as many tend to think.

St. Patrick's Day Traditions
Of all of the traditions associated with St. Patrick's Day, why is green so central to it? Ireland, the Emerald Isle, has long been associated with the color green. In fact, the color green is Ireland's symbol. Not only does it reflect the 'emerald' in Emerald Isle, but green has also been identified with the republican and nationalist traditions in current days. The political motif also explains the significance of the green on the flag of the Republic of Ireland. Generally speaking, green has become an expression of Ireland itself.

Whether you dress in green from head to toe in honor or wear a subtler green clothing accent, the image of green remains one of celebration and support on this holiday.

The shamrock, another key symbol of St. Patrick's Day, was once viewed as a sacred plant representing the beauty and rebirth of spring. As this mark of rebirth became a symbol of Irish nationalism, the Irish began to wear the shamrock as an emblem of pride and strength.

When it comes to traditional St. Patrick's Day meal, corned beef and cabbage is by far one of the most popular dishes. Traditionally, Irish immigrants used to eat bacon, rather than corned beef, as the central part of their commemorative meals. Corned beef came onto the scene much later when Irish immigrants in NYC learned that they could save money by substituting their bacon with corned beef. The delicious alternative was a hit and is incorporated into St. Patrick's Day festivals all over the world.