With St.Patrick’s day nearing, people want to know what its origins are. As a very popular holiday in the United States, it plays a major role in the month of March.
St.Patrick’s day commemorates the patron saint of Ireland whose death was ‘believed’ to be on March 17th. St.Patrick was born in Roman Britain. He was kidnapped to become a slave in Ireland, where he later became a priest when he escaped to Europe, then returned back to Ireland to be a missionary, then became a bishop and a national symbol all around.
The holiday began as a Catholic feast but throughout the 5th century it had made its way spreading through Christianity. It was the Catholic Church that had officially established March 17th to be a feast for St.Patrick.
Throughout the United States we celebrate St.Patrick’s day with parades, festivals, wearing the color green, and also eating Irish food. Many Catholics and Christians will go to church services throughout the day.
A couple of traditions that are related to St.Patricks day is the shamrock. The shamrock is said to be used by the saint himself to explain ‘The Holy Trinity” to Irish pagans. Rainbows which can commonly be related to leprechauns or St.Patricks day, represent a promise from God to never destroy Earth again with a flood.
Many people all around have big celebrations. For example, Chicago dyes their river green. Tokyo has the largest celebrations in Asia, they have parades, loud music and they have thousands of people dressed in green. Buenos Aires has the largest celebration in South America, with things similar to Tokyo, they also have an open-air festival.
To many people, St.Patricks day is more than just a holiday, it has become a cultural celebration and a way to show Irish pride! With that, everyone should buy their green now and get ready for St.Pattys day!