Although many people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in many different ways, most do not know why it’s a holiday or its history. Like many holidays we celebrate today, St. Patty’s Day comes from a religious background, and Saint Patrick was a real person! He was originally from Roman Britain but was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. After some time he escaped and left Ireland. He did return though, and has been credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland and is the nation’s recognized Apostle. While he was alive, St. Patrick became well-known for his belief in the Holy Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, symbolized by an Irish native clover, the shamrock.
The presumed day that St. Patrick died, March 17, 461, is what we now consider to be St. Patrick’s Day. It was first celebrated by the Irish, who were Roman Catholics around the 9th or 10th century. These people celebrated with a day of feast on March 17th. In most recent years, the St. Patrick’s Day parade was started on U.S. soil by Spaniards in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. This celebration originated when homesick Irish soldiers who served the English marched on St. Patrick’s Day to honor Saint Patrick’s memory. The parades then became more and more popular in New York City and Boston. The amount of Irish immigrants that made their way to the U.S. also added to the popularity of the holiday and continued the parades to further Irish patriotism. The New York City parade grew vastly when other parades were asked to be a part of the New York parade. Thus creating the infamous New York City St. Patty’s Day parade which is now the oldest civilian-led parade in the world!
Although the holiday is not celebrated strictly for religious reasons today, most people recognize the holiday in some way. For example, my own family celebrates by having corned beef and cabbage with Irish soda bread and wearing green, which are all Americanized traditions of St. Patty’s Day. In addition, there are many other familial celebrations that aren’t exactly traditional to the holiday itself.
“I am ginger which definitely gives me a leg up, and on St. Patty’s day I try to uphold an Irish accent for the day,” says Josh Lefkowitz ’24. Many others also have an Irish-inspired or themed dinner such as “bangers and mash” mentions Em Barry ’24; or “corned beef and cabbage” which is a staple of Ms. Sarah Selden, Gina Ridgeway ’26, and Ava Post ’26. Of course, there is the tradition of wearing green, or risk being pinched. “My brother and I pinch each other for not wearing green,” continues Ridgeway.
This also leads to the connotation of Leprechauns on St. Patrick’s Day, which comes from Celtic folklore. Leprechauns were considered to be the menders of shoes in Fairie societies which made them cranky and created an affinity for pinching people. Yet, by wearing green you would become invisible to the Leprechauns which is where that tradition originated from. The tiny mythical creatures are still a huge part of St. Patrick’s Day traditions such as having a “Leprechaun” mess up a room and leave green glitter as a hint of who it was and thus creating a “Leprechaun chase” which is an activity frequently done in elementary schools on St. Patty’s day. To continue, Brynne Johnson ’25 says “I used to receive a special collector’s coin from a Leprechaun on St. Patrick’s Day.” The Leprechaun antics don’t end there, however, both Lily Reardon ’26 and Georgia Jewell ’26 recall having everyday objects such as “my milk was often turned green on St. Patrick’s Day,” says Jewell; and “the water in our toilets was dyed green every morning of St. Patrick’s Day” mentions Reardon.
St. Patrick’s Day may fall on a Sunday this year, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy and have fun on the holiday. Furthermore, while St.Patrick’s Day may not have the same meaning for most people, it’s still important to remember and celebrate its history. Also, don’t forget to wear green or risk being pinched by a cranky Leprechaun!
All facts in this article are checked via:
Davidson, Rose. “St. Patrick’s Day.” Celebrations, 11 Mar. 2024, kids.nationalgeographic.com/celebrations/article/st-patricks-day#:~:text=Leprechauns%20are%20actually%20one%20reason,pinch%20anyone%20they%20can%20see.
Zapata, Christian. “St. Patrick’s Day: Origins, Meaning and Background | HISTORY.” HISTORY, 4 Mar. 2024, http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/history-of-st-patricks-day#what-do-leprechauns-have-to-do-with-st-patrick-s-day. Accessed 12 Mar. 2024.