Take a glimpse into the green history of the Irish day of celebration.

Top of the mornin’ to ya! It’s March, and as spring begins, we are getting closer to St. Patrick’s Day. Most people associate the day with wearing green, drinking booze, sporting shamrocks and societies all over the world celebrating the “luck of the Irish.”

However, why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Saint Patrick wasn’t actually Irish. He was born in Britain and raised in the Catholic church. At 16, he was taken by raiders to Ireland, where he spent a whopping six years as an enslaved shepherd.
Along the way, he claimed to hear God say, “Run away,” and so he stole a boat to travel back to Britain. Patrick returned to Ireland later in life and devoted the rest of it to establishing the Catholic
church.

According to culturetrip.com, “Since his death – believed to be in 461 AD – the significance and stories of St. Patrick became ingrained in Irish culture, and celebrations have evolved throughout the centuries.”

In Ireland, people are entitled to take the day off and spend time with their families. They are to eat, drink and be merry. Another fun fact is that St. Patrick linked the three leaf clover to the holy trinity.

Over the years, the holiday has shifted away from its religious roots and became a revival of Irish pride. When the Irish immigrated over to the United States, the first recorded celebration took place in
Boston.

At one time, the holiday was only originally celebrated in Irish localized districts. According to time.com, “Through the use of symbols and speeches, Irish-Americans celebrated their Catholicism, the patron saint and praised the spirit of Irish nationalism in the old country, but they also stressed their patriotic belief in their new
home.”

The tradition of St. Patrick’s Day spread like wildfire from there, and by the 20th century it became a marketing tycoon. Anything green was sold in drugstores and a variety of shops, while any restaurant served corned beef and cabbage that which (ironically enough) isn’t served much in Ireland. Fast food franchises have jumped on the
bandwagon to serve green milkshakes and other foods. So this St. Patrick’s Day, revel in Irish pride and celebrate. Watch out for rainbows and leprechauns, drink some Guinness if you are of age and make sure you wear green or you just might get pinched.