by Isabella Ruiz

When people think about the month of March, they often associate things such as the color green, celebrations, four leaf clovers and a leprechaun. This is all because of the famous holiday that occurs on March 17 every year: St. Patrick’s Day. Although this holiday is an Irish holiday, it
is very popular in the United States as well because of the many Irish immigrants that came to the United States.

Although St. Patrick’s Day is thought to be a fun and celebratory holiday, it has a very historic and religious history. St. Patrick was born in Roman Britain and became a slave, where he was sent to Ireland. He then escaped to France, where he converted to Christianity.

Upon his return to Ireland, he made Christianity much more popular there. Because of this, he became a bishop and was celebrated by many people for being the reason Christianity became popular in Ireland. As several Irish people immigrated to the United States, they began to celebrate
St. Patrick’s Day more than ever before. This holiday became a way for Irish immigrants to remain in touch with their roots and celebrate their tradition even though they were very far from their homeland.

Green is the color to wear on St. Patrick’s Day and if you do not wear it, do not be surprised if someone randomly comes up and pinches you. The tradition of wearing green stems from many reasons, but a myth that is passed down from generation to generation is that wearing green makes people invisible to leprechauns. Leprechauns like to pinch people, so wearing green makes you safe from getting pinched, hence why the theme of pinching people who are not wearing green has been a tradition for several decades.

There are several ways of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day the traditional way. There are multiple parades that occur throughout Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, but the most common one is in Dublin. The parade has activities for people of all different ages and is a tourist hotspot. In other parts of Ireland, people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by singing and dancing to traditional Irish music. Although people throughout the country celebrate in different ways, it is a day that brings joy to everyone.

Several places in the United States also have events and celebrations that occur on St. Patrick’s Day. For example, in Burlington, N.C., there will be a St. Patrick’s Day Bash that will consist of dancing, food vendors and activities for the kids. In addition, there are plenty of events for just the adults. For instance, in Greensboro, there will be a festival downtown followed by a bar crawl for those who are 21 and older.

Although the history behind St. Patrick’s Day involves religious history, it has become a holiday that many people are excited to celebrate. To Americans, it is a holiday that kids love because of the myth and tradition. However, for Irish natives and Irish immigrants, this holiday is special and reminds them of home even if they are not there.