A fest rooted in Ireland, yet global in scope

Brief History

§  Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17^thcentury and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Lutheran Church.

§  It marks the death anniversary of Saint Patrick (385-461), the foremost Irish Saint.

§  It also commemorates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. What began as a religious feast day for the patron saint of Ireland has grown into an international festival celebrating Irish culture through parade, dance, gourmet and a whole lot of green.

Unique Features

§  Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional St Patrick’s Day dish. In 2009, roughly 26.2 billion pounds of beef and 2.3 billion pounds of cabbage were produced in the United States.

§  More than 100 St Patrick’s Day parades are held across the US, New York City and Boston.

§  There are seven places in the US named after the shamrock, the floral emblem of Ireland. The shamrock, which was also called the ‘seamroy’, was a scared plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolised the rebirth of spring. By the 17^th century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism.

§  As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with the English rule.

Interesting facts

§  The first parade held to honour St Patrick took place in the United States on March 17, 1762. The Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City playing music.

§  The parade helped them reconnect with their Irish roots as well as with fellow Irishmen serving in the English army. Various traditional Irish bands including The Chieftains, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem are gaining worldwide popularity and getting highlighted through St Patrick’s Day.

§  The colour green has been associated with Ireland since at least the 1640s, when the green harp flag was used by the Irish Catholic Confederation. Green ribbons and shamrocks have been worn on St Patrick’s Day since at least the 1680s.