On March 17, St. Patrick’s Day’s,  a global celebration, is celebrated for it’s Irish culture that originated from a religious feast day in Ireland. The holiday marked the supposed death date of St. Patrick (c. 385-461), the saint of Ireland who spread Christianity to the country. Modern traditions include wearing green, attending parades and eating Irish food such as corned beef, cabbage, and drinking green beer. 

St. Patrick’s Day is known to some students at school, yet others, such as freshman Sanyatha Molina, may not be familiar with the history behind the holiday. 

“Just everyone dresses green, and that’s kind of it,” Molina said.

He was born in Roman Britain, and at the age of 16, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates and brought to Ireland as a slave. He soon escaped but returned to Ireland and was credited with spreading Christianity among its people.

The most well-known legend of St. Patrick is when he explained the Christian Holy Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, he used the “three leaves of a native Irish clover, the shamrock.”

According to HISTORY, leprechauns are an icon of Irish folklore. The belief in leprechauns comes from the “Celtic beliefs in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls responsible for mending the shoes of other fairies.”

Teachings of St. Patrick’s day faintly appears in school, but momentarily rises on the day of. Freshman Anna Hernandez elaborates on the festivities her elementary school conducted for students to learn the elements of Irish Folklore on St. Patrick’s Day. 

“When I was in elementary school, I like making the leprechaun traps. I think it was pretty fun,” Hernandez said.

According to HISTORY, “although only minor figures in many Celtic folktales,” leprechauns were known for their tricks, which were often utilized to protect their “much-fabled treasure.” Leprechauns also have their own holiday on May 13, but are still celebrated on St. Patrick’s Day.

Following around the ninth or 10th century, people in Ireland observed a Roman Catholic feast day honoring St. Patrick on March 17. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade actually didn’t take place in Ireland, but in North America, starting earlier in the 1600s and 1700s. The first parade was held on March 17, 1601, in St. Augustine, Florida, a Spanish colony. Both the parade and the St. Patrick’s Day celebration the year before were organized by the Spanish colony’s Irish vicar, Ricardo Artur. 

During the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade in America on March 17, 1762, homesick Irish soldiers who served in the British military marched through New York City. Eagerness for the St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City, Chicago, Boston, and other early American cities “only grew from there.” 

According to HISTORY, in the following decades, Irish patriotism among American immigrants grew, which prompted

the rise of “so-called Irish aid societies” such as the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and the “Hibernian Society. Each group held annual parades featuring bagpipes and drums.

In 1851, multiple New York Irish aid societies united their parades to form an official New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Now, the New York City parade is the world’s oldest civil parade and largest in the United States, and home to over 150,000 participants. Each year, about 3 million people line the 1.75-mile parade route to observe the procession, which lasts more than five hours. 

Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Savannah celebrate the day with parades that involve between 10,000 and 20,000 participants each. In 2020, the New York City parade was one of the first major city events to be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and then in 2021, the event was replaced by a low-profile ceremonial march. The parade that took place in New York and others around the country was reinstated in 2022.

According to HISTORY, in today’s world, people of all backgrounds join in the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, more in the United States, Canada and Australia. “Although North America is home to the largest productions,  St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated around the world in locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore and Russia.” 

Furthermore, HISTORY states general St. Patrick’s Day recipes include “Irish soda bread, corned beef, cabbage and champ, or mashed potatoes,” which are made with green onions, butter and milk. In the United States, green is often worn on St. Patrick’s Day.

According to HISTORY, beginning in 1995, the Irish government began a national campaign as a move to encourage tourism to the culture and promote Irish culture with the attention surrounding St. Patrick’s Day. 

From St. Patrick’s encouragement of religious belief towards Christianity rose St. Patrick’s Day, which promoted Irish traditions and folklore in its parades and celebrations, such as wearing green and feasting on traditional Irish food, for example, corned beef and cabbage. Even though students lack awareness of the history of St. Patrick’s Day, the importance of the holiday remains

“I never really thought much of it. It’s just you wear green, and then that’s it. It’s kind of just a day,” Molina said.