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Saint Patrick’s Day

Saint Patrick’s Day is an annual feast celebrated on March 17th. Get ready to don yourself with the greenest garb, eat some clover-shaped cookies and march in Irish pride parades. St Patrick was the patron saint and bishop of Ireland. He was also the national apostle of Ireland who is credited with bringing the Christianity to Ireland. St Patrick’s Day is a religious feast day in the 17th-century which has evolved into a variety of festivals from across the globe. The celebration includes Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, and a whole lot of traditional green feast of the meal of Irish bacon and cabbage. St Patrick’s Day is also celebrated inside and outside of Ireland as a cultural and religious holiday. Saint Patrick’s Day is a global celebration of Irish culture and honors St Patrick, one of Ireland’s patron saints.

“Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me.” – Saint Patrick

History of Saint Patrick’s Day

The origin, history, and the first observance of Saint Patrick’s Day are as old as St Patrick. Therefore the exact person or organization who has come up celebrating the St Patrick is anonymous. However, the history and tradition of St Patrick’s Day celebration are rich and long. March 17th is chosen for the feast as it is the traditional death date of Saint Patrick in or around the year 493. St Patrick’s Day is otherwise called as or the Feast of Saint Patrick or Lá Fhéile Pádraig in Irish, meaning the Day of the Festival of Patrick. It is a cultural and religious celebration, and the Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for beyond 1,000 years. St Patrick’s Day was made as an official Christian feast day during the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Lutheran Church.

St Patrick’s Day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of the Christianity in Ireland. The annual commemoration, in general, celebrates the rich heritage and culture of the Irish. People in Ireland have been celebrating the Roman Catholic feast day of St Patrick on March 17 around the ninth or tenth century. The first parade was held to honor St Patrick’s Day took place in the United States and not in Ireland. The celebration Day falls during the Christian season of Lent, and the Irish families would traditionally attend the church in the morning and celebrate it in the afternoon. People will drink, dance and feast on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage as the Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were abandoned on the celebration.

Saint Patrick’s Day is still a public holiday in many countries including the Republic of Ireland and has also been celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. Until the late 20th century, the St Patrick’s Day was often a bigger celebration among the diaspora than it was in Ireland. Celebrations usually involve the public parades and festivals, Irish traditional music sessions, and the wearing of the green attire or shamrocks. The Irish brands of drinks are popular at the St Patrick’s Day events. The shamrock is considered to be the most common St Patrick’s Day symbol. The shamrock is traditionally the leaf of the clover plant that is referred to as a symbol of the Holy Trinity. People prefer to wear the color green and the St Patrick’s Day parades will hold the flag of the Republic of Ireland around the world.

The custom of ‘drowning the shamrock‘ or ‘wetting the shamrock‘ on the St Patrick’s Day was historically popular, especially in Ireland. A shamrock is then put into the bottom of a cup at the end of the celebrations and then the cup is filled with the alcohol like whiskey, beer, or cider. The alcohol is then drunk as a toast to St Patrick, Ireland, or those present. The shamrock will either be swallowed with the drink or taken out and tossed over the shoulder for the good luck. It was said that St Patrick had rid Ireland of snakes. However, there have been no snakes in Ireland. Saint Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and is considered to be the foremost patron saint of Ireland. He was an “Apostle of Ireland” and bishop in Ireland. Patrick was thought to be born in Roman Britain and was kidnapped and taken to Ireland as a slave when he was 16.

Records say that St Patrick was actually born as Maewyn Succat, but later he had changed his name to Patricius or Patrick that derives from the Latin term for “father figure,” after he has become a priest. He had later escaped but returned to Ireland. Patrick was also credited with bringing the Christianity to the people of Ireland. Patrick had already come to be worshipped as the patron saint of Ireland by the seventh century. The precise dates of Patrick’s life are uncertain as there are many conflicting traditions prevailing regarding the year of his death. It is said to have died on March 17 in or around the year 493. It is said that he had been buried under the Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, Ireland. Thus the St Patrick’s Day celebration is held on the same date throughout the world.

How to Celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day

Celebrating the Saint Patrick’s Day is quite easy. You can wear any green clothing on this celebration Day. Visit a church and attend a St Patrick’s Day parade. Serve your children with sweets and adults can enjoy drinking a ‘pint’ of beer at a local pub. You can organize parties at your home featuring the homemade Irish food and drinks that are dyed in green food colour are part of this celebration. Include the meal of Irish bacon and cabbage to treat your friends and family. If you are affordable, take a visit to Ireland to indulge yourself in the traditional celebrations. You can even go to any restaurants and pubs which offer Irish food or drink to celebrate this Day.

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