Celebrating the True Origins of St. Patrick’s Day

Max Kehoe / The Samohi

St. Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated across the U.S. however, in Ireland, this holiday's birth country, festivities are entirely on another level.

Ireland is overtaken with St. Patrick’s Day celebrations every year on March 17. The holiday is celebrated in March to commemorate the day of the death of St. Patrick in 465 A.D. and was marked as a day of feast. St. Patrick is a significant figure partially due to a tale stating that he used his staff to banish all the snakes in Ireland to the sea. St. Patrick is also the priest credited with bringing Christianity to a then Pagan-practicing Ireland. St. Patrick was said to use shamrocks to teach the concept of the Holy Trinity to all of Ireland, which is part of the reason shamrocks have become a symbol of luck. Other aspects of Irish history include additional myths and tales regarding shamrocks.

In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is essentially equivalent to the Fourth of July here in the U.S. The celebration is marked with many ceremonies, parties, and dedicated time off work. Today, St. Patrick’s Day falls in the middle of the Christian and Catholic practice of Lent, where people often fast or give something up during the 40 days. However, anyone participating will often dismiss their goal during St. Patrick’s Day and join in the festivities. Most of Ireland tends to quit some variety of food items, which means many sugar-filled kids and plenty of alcohol throughout the holiday. 

Parades occur in most major cities and counties and many often incorporate snakes and shamrocks to honor St. Patrick’s name. Ireland ramps up the celebration much more than the U.S., but the legacy of St. Patrick has spread internationally with a sea of green every late March.