St. Patrick’s Day celebrates the life and death of St. Patrick; however, like Christmas, it has taken on some interesting aspects that have nothing to do with Ireland’s patron saint.
Celebrated on March 17, the anniversary of Saint Patrick’s death in the year 461, the holiday was originally meant to honor the accomplishments of St. Patrick, who is credited with spreading Christianity across Ireland in the 5th century. He symbolizes perseverance and survival as he took risks to help the Irish people, and was able to share the Christian message in a way people understood. He is also considered to be the patron saint of engineers. Traditional celebrations involved religious services and feasts, but then the holiday travelled to America.
In America, “St. Paddy’s Day” became a celebration of Irish culture. The increase in Irish immigration throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, brought a surge in Irish pride, and American’s have been celebrating the holiday since 1601. St. Patrick got pushed into pubs and parades as American’s interested in remembering and sharing their Irish culture changed the focus of the holiday.
People celebrate by throwing parades, eating traditional Irish food, wearing and dressing things in green, and honoring the myth of four-leaf clovers. Parades feature Irish dancers and musicians performing for those around them. People eat traditional Irish meals such as bacon and cabbage, Irish stew, Irish coffee, corn beef and cabbage, and colcannon. People wear green clothes, to show their appreciation of “The Emerald Isle”, and to avoid getting pinched. Four-leaf clovers are popular to protect people from evil spirits and bring good luck. People in Frederick celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with events like pub crawls, live music, Irish-themed food and drink specials, and special events at local establishments. There are many ways to celebrate in the Metro-DC area. If you didn’t catch it this year, check out “8 Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the DC Area” and make plans for next year.
