Just the Surface

Most every child and adult in the world is forced into an emerald green clothing item on this day full of shamrocks and green-tinted foods and drinks or they might get pinched. What we know about Saint Patrick’s Day is just the surface of what Saint Patrick’s Day is all about.

The holiday is annually celebrated around the world on the anniversary of Saint Patrick’s death on March 17. He was born in Roman Britain, but was brought to Ireland as a slave at the young age of 16, from which he later escaped. Before he passed away, he used a shamrock plant to symbolize the Holy Trinity to the Irish due to it normally having just three leaves.

The Roman Catholic Feast was greatly observed by the Irish after his death, but surprisingly the first Saint Patrick’s Day parade was held in the United States. During the mid-19th century, Irish-Americans were represented as drunk and violent while walking the streets and expressing their heritage. The American Irish began to realize that this was something they needed to exploit politically and Saint Patrick’s Day parades started to show strength for these Irish-Americans who had been wrongfully portrayed.

Throughout the years, Irish immigrants spread out across the United States with new traditions arising along with them. The original color for Saint Patrick’s Day was blue and has slowly transitioned to a green due to the major uprise of Irish nationalism against Britain’s rule in the 1790s. Up until then, green was considered unlucky, but also was thought to have made one invisible to leprechauns when one wore its shade. This is also where pinching people who did not wear green came from. It was supposedly a reminder to people that they could be seen by the tiny mischievous mythical creatures. Also, for five hours each year the Chicago River is dyed green to honor this holiday in a unique way, but Saint Patrick’s blue is still the state color in Ireland.

Wherever and however celebrated, Saint Patrick’s Day is still and always will be the national holiday created to express Irish culture and remember Ireland’s patron saint, Saint Patrick. People from around the entire world celebrate this day including: the United States, Canada, Ireland, Japan, Singapore, Russia and Australia. Approximately one million civilians take part in the the annual Saint Patrick’s Day Festival in Dublin.