The History of St. Patrick’s Day

Post date: Mar 16, 2017 7:39:25 PM

By: Abbie Schmidt, Co Editor-in-Chief

Posted March 16th, 2017

Saint Patrick’s Day, March 17th, is named after Saint Patrick of Ireland, who died on this date. “St. Patty’s” is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. A feast date, it is meant to celebrate the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and to celebrate Irish heritage. It is believed that when teaching the Irish about the Holy Trinity, Saint Patrick used a three leaf clover, making shamrocks popular for the holiday. Leprechauns are a common Irish folklore, popular on the holiday mainly for their Irish heritage. The same is true for the color green. The color green has been on Irish flags for a long time. It was the color of their military and other festivals and traditions. According to legends, wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day protects you from being pinched by a leprechaun. In recent years, if you don’t wear green, anyone can pinch you as a reminder to beware of the leprechauns. Also, traditionally, Lent restrictions were lifted for the day, possibly encouraging the consumption of alcohol that’s associated with the holiday.