Saint Patrick’s Day is an annual holiday, typically celebrated on the 17th of March. It is seen as a religious ceremony in honor of Saint Patrick of Ireland. This holiday is now a worldwide holiday and representation of culture, a celebration of Ireland, and national pride. 

St. Patrick’s Day started in the seventeenth century when the Catholic church made the day the Day of the Feast. When the holiday began, it was originally celebrated by a big feast and attending church. The restrictions of Lent were often disregarded for the day while this holiday took place. 

St. Patrick became the namesake of the holiday because he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and later became a missionary. This event is what started the rise of the people in Ireland converting over to Christianity. The 17th of March marks St. Patrick’s death, hence why we celebrate on this day. 

Up until the late eighteenth century, St. Patrick’s Day was a close celebration of the Irish people and their families. They would come together to pray and feast. The United States adopted this holiday when the Irish started immigrating to the U.S. They still used this day as a way to celebrate culture and identity. The “green” trend of this holiday also came into the picture around this time as well to represent the Irish as that was the color associated with it. 

Now people all over the world celebrate this holiday in a religious and non-religious context. People have come up with games and parties such as pinching someone if they are not wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day. Certain places have parades and festivals with concerts and events to commemorate this holiday. 

Not only has this holiday become famous, but it has also spread Irish culture all over the globe. There are so many ways to celebrate it, whether it’s pinching your friends if they aren’t wearing green or enjoying a big meal with your family. Church is also a way some people spend their holiday. Any of these ways are fantastic to express tradition even if you aren’t Irish.