St Patrick’s Day occurs on March 17 and is day to remember one of Ireland’s patron saints, St Patrick. It largely celebrates Irish-American culture in the United States, and the use of the color green is predominant.
Irish related stories, such as one about the Leprechaun’s pot of gold, are often told on St Patrick’s Day.
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What do people do?
St Patrick’s Day celebrations concentrate on Irish themed parties, alcoholic drinks and food. People celebrating often dress in green clothing and may consume food and drink dyed green. Irish clubs and pubs often hold special events or promotions. Large street parades are held to mark St Patrick’s Day in cities such as:
- Chicago.
- Boston.
- Houston.
- Philadelphia.
- Pittsburgh.
- Denver.
- Detroit.
- Toronto.
- New York.
- New Orleans.
- Seattle.
Parades are held on Saturday, March 16, in New York during the years when March 17 is a Sunday. The parade is always held on the Sunday before March 17 in many other cities. Some people see St Patrick’s Day as a celebration of the color green, rather than solely focusing on the Irish-American culture. Water is dyed green in public places in some towns. The most notable body of water that was dyed green was the Chicago River in 2005.
People dress in green clothing and eat food, which is either naturally or dyed green, on St Patrick’s Day. Some people go as far as holding green dinner parties where the guests are expected to wear green and eat exclusively green food.
Public life
St Patrick’s Day is not a federal holiday in the United States. Schools, businesses and organizations are open as usual. Public transport systems run on their regular schedules. There may be some local disruption to traffic due to St Patrick’s Day parades. This is particularly true in cities with a large Irish-American population, including New York, New Orleans and Seattle. The parades may be on or around March 17, so it is a good idea to check local sources for the exact location, date and time.
Background
St Patrick is one of Ireland’s patron saints and many Americans with Irish ancestry remember him on March 17. Patrick’s Day is fixed on March 17, but may occasionally be moved by the authorities of the Catholic Church. This happened in 1940, so that the celebrations would not fall on Palm Sunday, and in 2008 to avoid Holy Monday, the last Monday before Easter Sunday.
Symbols
The most common St Patrick’s Day symbol is the shamrock. The shamrock is the leaf of the clover plant and a symbol of the Holy Trinity. Other symbols include:
- Almost anything colored green.
- The green, orange and white flag of the Republic of Ireland.
- Brands of beer associated with Irish culture.
Religious symbols include snakes and serpents. Other Irish-related symbols seen on St Patrick’s Day include the harp, which was used in Ireland for centuries, as well as a mythological creature known as the leprechaun and a pot of gold that the leprechaun hides.
About St. Patrick’s Day in other countries
Read more about St. Patrick’s Day.
Courtesy of DateandTime.com