Many people know that March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day.  It’s often a day where many people wear green or have some fun seeking out leprechauns.   But the reality is that it’s a day intended to honor a man respected for his faith, and his legacy has led to many celebrations that happen throughout the world.  

Maewyn Succat was born in 5th century Britain. He was taken to Ireland and served as a missionary and a bishop. Succat was known for bringing Christianity to Ireland, which earned him the title of St. Patrick.  The holiday began in 1631 as a feast honoring St. Patrick in Ireland, and the tradition of celebrating this man spread throughout Europe. 

Throughout time, the color green has been the primary color connected to St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.  The association of green comes from when the green harp flag was used by the Irish. The connection of the shamrock to St. Patrick’s Day originates from when St. Patrick using a clover to teach others about the Holy Trinity of Christianity. 

The holiday came to the United States when its population of Irish immigrants grew. St. Patrick’s Day has many celebrations and traditions. The traditions mainly consist of parades, festivals, traditional Irish music, and wearing green and shamrocks. There are many big celebrations in cities, as well as small community celebrations. 

Cities that had a large population of Irish immigrants had the biggest celebrations. Chicago is one of those cities that still hosts a celebration in honor of St. Patrick. Every year, they color their river green for the holiday. Senior Alexis Little said “I think it’s so cool how Chicago colors their river green for the holiday. I would love to go to a parade there and see the river.”

American schools also celebrate the holiday. Junior Arabella Smith said “I used to love St. Patrick’s Day when I was younger, because our teacher would decorate the classroom and give us activities, for example coloring pages.” 

But one doesn’t have to be in a community setting to acknowledge the holiday.  Many activities  like decorating Irish themed cookies, making a shamrock shake, baking Irish soda bread, searching for four leaf clovers, and learning some Irish dancing can all be done individually.  Junior Eden Silver said “McDonald’s has a shamrock shake during the month of March for the holiday, and I get it every year.”