The History of Saint Patrick's Day

When you think of St. Patrick's Day, what do you usually think of? A little red-haired leprechaun playing tricks, green milk, or even Lucky Charms? Well, St. Patrick's Day is much more than all of that bogus stuff. St. Patrick's Day is one of the most popular holidays in the US, and while it might not even be a very popular holiday in other places it is still a very fun holiday to participate in. 

St. Patrick's Day celebrates the death day (or feast day depending on who you are talking to) of St. Patrick who is the patron saint of Ireland. Patrick became a devout Catholic while being held captive by the English. He traveled back to Ireland on a Catholic mission after becoming a priest. Patrick used fire to make the celebrations of Easter resonate with the older Irish traditions so that he could connect with the people. 

In the past (like way back in 1631), March 17th was traditionally the feast day of St. Patrick's; now it is a day to celebrate the shenanigans of the leprechaun and to just celebrate your Irish heritage. Boston is the city that has the longest-standing account of celebrating St. Patrick's Day and Manhattan has the longest record of celebrating that day with a parade. Both of those cities had a high number of Irish immigrants who celebrated it and had high power in these cities. Even here in Buffalo, we have a very big parade downtown on Delaware Ave on St. Patrick's Day or the Sunday before. In South Buffalo (where there is a very big American-Irish population) there is an Old First Ward parade the Saturday before March 17th. The Old First Ward is where the Irish originally settled in Buffalo. In New York City and all of the surrounding cities like Staten Island and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, they celebrate with big parades throughout March. There are parades down 5th Avenue in New York that are very big and draw in a lot of people and crowds. In Cleveland, they even dye the river green for St. Paddy’s Day as a leprechaun-type trick.

While having parades and tricking people are some basic ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, there are a lot more traditions that have come along with the immigrants from Ireland. One of the most popular is Irish dancing. Irish dancing originated over a thousand years ago, inspired by when they had to put their hands to their sides when the English invaded and wanted to take over the Irish culture.  The Irish had to put their hands at their sides so that the English wouldn’t know they were dancing in the fields. Another Irish tradition is wearing kilts. A kilt is a plaid skirt that originated in the Scottish highlands by Irish nationalists in the 1850s and was cemented as a symbol of Gaelic identity. Another very big symbol is the bagpipes. The bagpipes are instruments that are mostly played to show the Irish spirit around this holiday and throughout the year.

St. Patrick’s Day is a day that celebrates Irish heritage and while you might not be Irish, you can still celebrate by going to the parades, going out with friends, or having corned beef and cabbage which is a traditional Irish meal. So go on and wear some green and celebrate a very fun and festive holiday with all of your Irish friends and family. Happy St. Patrick's Day!