St Patrick’s Day

St Patrick’s Day is a holiday celebrated on March 17th that commemorates St. Patrick and celebrates Irish heritage. Typically, people celebrate by wearing green, eating Irish foods, and going to parades. Some common symbols of this holiday are shamrocks and leprechauns. 

You may be wondering, who is St. Patrick? He was the primary patron saint of Ireland in the 5th century. Originally born in Britain, he was kidnapped and brought into slavery in Ireland at the age of 16. After escaping, he returned to Ireland to spread Christianity and became very well known. The date March 17th comes from what is believed to be his date of death. This is why we celebrate St Patrick’s Day on this day. Even though this holiday isn’t as celebrated for this reason, it is still important to know the origin. 

Today, the holiday is more focused on celebrating Irish culture globally. People often go to St. Patrick’s Day parades to celebrate, and we even have two different parades in Buffalo to celebrate! One happens on Delaware Avenue, and if you haven’t gone to one before, I would recommend checking it out next year! It is also a tradition to wear green on St Patrick’s Day; at these parades, you’ll see most people wearing green. People also celebrate by eating Irish food, such as corned beef and cabbage, and listening to Irish music. It is a nice way to experience and celebrate Irish culture, which you might not normally get the chance to during other times of the year.