Saint Patrick's Day
March 15, 2025
The annual emerald-tinted jubilee is right around the corner! This March 17th, Saint Patrick’s Day will transform cities worldwide into vibrant stages of Irish cultural expression, where streets will pulse with music, dancing, and communal spirit that will bring people together. On this day every year, from Dublin to Chicago, Boston to Sydney, communities wear green attire, eat corned beef, and parade in remembrance of a tradition that started centuries before. But where did it all start? While today it’s a global celebration, the origins of Saint Patrick’s Day trace back to Ireland and a man named Patrick, whose legacy goes far beyond pots of gold and rainbows.
At its heart, the holiday commemorates Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, who is credited for bringing Christianity to the island and famously using the three-leafed shamrock to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity. He was born in the late 4th century in Britain and was kidnapped by Irish raiders when he was only a teenager. After escaping six years of forced slavery, he returned to his family. However, he had a calling and eventually returned to Ireland as a missionary to spread Christian beliefs. He spent the rest of his life converting the Irish people and making the shamrock a symbol that is forever embedded into the Irish identity.
While Saint Patrick’s Day honors the memory of Saint Patrick, our current celebrations differ from those of the past. The holiday started as a religious event in Ireland, but it began to have a more festive feel in the 1700s. Saint Patrick’s Day grew popular in America during the 1800s among Irish immigrants—not just as a religious festival, but as a way to mark Irish heritage. Now, parades in the United States are the center of celebration. The first recorded Saint Patrick’s Day parade occurred in New York City in 1762 when a group of Irish soldiers serving in the British army marched through the streets. The parade attracted eyes and participants over the years, and New York now hosts one of the largest and most famous Saint Patrick’s parades in the world.
Now you may be wondering—why green? Putting on green clothes is tied to the color’s association with Ireland, often called “The Emerald Isle” because of its lush green landscapes. People believed that wearing green made them invisible to leprechauns—mischievous fairies who would pinch anyone not wearing green! As time passed, this fun custom stuck around, and nowadays, you’ve got to wear green on Saint Patrick’s Day—don’t forget!