St. Patrick's Day Celebrations - Traditions - History

St. Patrick’s day is a celebration of the Irish culture and is celebrated on March 17, all over the world where communities are largely Irish. Those who are Irish at heart, join in the festivities with a few green beers.

St. Patrick was born to British parents and in his teens, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland. For the next six years, he was forced to tend sheep in solitude. He turned to Christianity from his original Pagan background. He eventually escaped back to Britain. After completing his religious training, he returned to Ireland to tend the Christians living there and evangelize the pagan Irish.

St. Patrick’s Day is an official holiday in both Ireland and in Montserrat, the “Emerald Isle of the Caribbean,” a location that was settled by Irish immigrants.

Although the official colour of this Irish celebration is green, the official colour of Saint Patrick is blue.

St. Patrick’s Day Parades

In 1903, Saint Patrick’s Day became an official public holiday in Ireland. The first Saint Patrick’s Day parade held in the Irish Free State was held in Dublin in 1931.In the mid-1990s the government of the Republic of Ireland began a campaign to use Saint Patrick’s Day to showcase Ireland and its culture.

Since about 1824, Montreal has had the longest running parade. Toronto has been running a parade since 1863. The parade takes place on the Sunday before March 17.

Feast Foods for St Patrick’s Day