the history of st. patty's day

Saint Patrick was born in Roman Britain, but when he was 16, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland to work as a slave. After St. Patrick died (the date is rumored to be March 17, 461) myths and legends surrounding his death helped form Irish culture. The most well-known legend of St. Patrick is the way he explained the Holy Trinity, using the three leaves of a shamrock to represent the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

Since the ninth or tenth century, St. Patrick’s day has been a yearly celebration in Ireland on March 17th to commemorate the Roman Catholic feast day of St. Patrick. However, records show that the first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place, not in Ireland, but in America. It is documented that St. Augustine, a city in Florida, held a parade on March 17, 1601, and from there, the celebration spread all over the country.

As the number of immigrants from Ireland in America grew, so did Irish patriotism. This prompted the growth of “Irish-Aid” societies that would go on to host their own St. Patrick’s day festivities, featuring parades with bagpipes, drums, and other symbols of Ireland such as leprechauns. Since leprechauns were already so heavily associated with Irish culture itself, these mythical creatures soon became a symbol of the holiday as celebrations became increasingly popular in the U.S.In 1848, several of these Irish-Aid societies in New York City decided to unite their parades to form one official New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. 

Today, the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade is the world’s oldest and America’s largest (with over 150,000 participants) civilian parade. Each year, nearly 3 million people line the 1.5-mile route to admire the procession. Although North America is home to the largest festivities for St. Patty’s day, this holiday is celebrated all over the world, including in Japan, Singapore, and Russia. Common foods eaten on this day include corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread, and potatoes.

In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick’s day has been associated with a religious holiday, up until the 1970s. Before the ‘70s, pubs were mandated to be closed on March 17th. Beginning in 1995, however, Ireland used St. Patrick’s day as a way to increase tourism and showcase Irish culture to the rest of the world.