When and how to celebrate St. Patrick's Day

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Or just love to have fun.

Who is Saint Patrick

Saint Patrick is a missionary and patron saint of Ireland who preached in the 5th century. The future saint was born in the British province of Rome into the family of a priest. When Patrick was about 16 years old, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates. After spending six years in slavery, he was able to escape home.

During his misadventures, Patrick turned to God and prayed a lot, so soon after his return he took ordination and, of his own free will, came to Ireland again to spread Christianity there, using his knowledge of the country.

Until the end of his life, Patrick baptized people and was engaged in educational activities. The year of his death is not exactly known, only a day has survived - March 17, it is on this date that the feast of the saint is celebrated. Over time, the personality of Patrick was overgrown with legends and became one of the main symbols of Ireland.

When did they start celebrating St. Patrick's Day?

Initially, the day of remembrance of the saint was an exclusively Catholic holiday. They began to celebrate it back in the 9th-10th centuries, and in the 17th century, Irish Central What is the real meaning of Saint Patrick's Day? in the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church. On this day, it was not customary to hold magnificent celebrations; the believers simply went to Mass and had a modest dinner with their family.

The holiday began to acquire a more secular character thanks to the Irish settlers in the United States. In 1601, in Florida, they held Where is the oldest St. Patrick's Day celebration in the world? the first parade as a sign of love for their historical homeland.

Later, similar marches on March 17 began to be held in many major cities in the United States. In the 19th century, the number of Irish migrants in the country increased significantly, the holiday became more ambitious and from a religious memorable date turned into a celebration of national pride with noisy festivities.

Interestingly, in Ireland itself, St. Patrick's Day became St. Patrick's Day 1903 was an official holiday and a day off only at the beginning of the 20th century, and the existing ban on the sale of alcohol on March 17 was canceled by the Intoxicating Liquor Act, 1960, only in the 1960s.

Later, in the 1990s, the country's authorities decided to St. Patricks Festival was established by the government of Ireland in November 1995. to use the popularity of the holiday to strengthen Ireland's international image and attract tourists. Now for these purposes in Dublin, St. Patrick's Festival is a large multi-day St. Patrick's Festival.

What are the symbols of the holiday

Shamrock

St. Patrick is often depicted holding a shamrock. According to legend, he used this plant to clearly explain the dogma of the Holy Trinity to the Irish. Later interpretations of The Meaning Behind The Shamrock say that the three leaves symbolize hope, love, and faith. And the rarely found fourth leaf means good luck, so it is believed that finding it is great happiness.

On the occasion of St. Patrick's Day, various souvenirs and treats with the image of the plant are made, and the royal family for the holiday gives The Duke of Cambridge joins the Irish Guards at the St Patrick's Day Parade a shamrock to the members of the Irish guard.

Green color

At the St. Patrick's Day parades, many people can be seen wearing green clothes or accessories. And in the United States, every year for a holiday, whole rivers are painted in this shade. This is not surprising, since green is the national color of Ireland. It is believed by The Color of Ireland that it resembles the country's vibrant meadows, which is why it is often called the Emerald Isle.

But historians say that until the 17th century, the official color of Ireland was blue. That all changed Flag of Ireland in the 1640s after an uprising against British oppression, when the Irish Catholic Confederation chose the green flag with the harp as its symbol.

Beer

St. Patrick's Day falls on Lent, but restrictions in honor of the holiday are sometimes lifted Where it’s OK to eat corned beef on St. Patrick's Day this Lent and believers are allowed to eat modest food.

With the popularization of the holiday, these indulgences in the minds of people took an exaggerated form, and St. Patrick's Day for many is now an occasion to arrange an alcoholic marathon. The main drink at the main Irish holiday is, of course, beer.

There is an opinion Why We Drink Guinness on St. Patrick's Day, that the marketing campaigns of the beverage producers significantly influenced the formation of such a tradition. The big brands in their advertising make drinking beer a part of the Irish identity and an important attribute of St. Patrick's Day.

And it seems that their insidious plan really worked. According to St. Patrick's Day Consumer Spending and Celebration Plans of the American National Retail Federation, this year, US residents will spend more than $ 5 billion on the holiday, and almost 40% of this amount will go to drinks.

How to celebrate St. Patrick's Day

If you don't have Irish roots, but still really want to touch the holiday, use these ideas to have fun.

Learn more about the culture of Ireland

Lecture, documentary or feature film, literature or maybe a lesson in Irish dancing - there are many ways to get acquainted with the culture and history of Ireland, you just have to choose something interesting for yourself.

To try to understand the mysterious Irish soul, watch the tapes of Martin McDonn. Or start reading Ulysses, a modernist puzzle novel by perhaps the country's most famous writer, James Joyce. With children, you can appreciate "The Legend of the Wolves" - a beautiful cartoon inspired by the history and mythology of Ireland.

Play beer pong

The alcohol game, once popular with American students, is in keeping with the cheerful spirit of the holiday, as its goal is to get the opponent to empty their beer glasses as quickly as possible.

To play beer pong, you need to split into two teams and place 6-10 glasses of beer in the form of a pyramid at opposite ends of the table. Players must take turns trying to hit the table tennis ball into one of the glasses on the opponent's side. If this succeeds, the opponent drinks the beer from this glass and removes it from the table. The team whose pyramid disappears first loses.

Prepare traditional Irish food

The traditional St. Patrick's Day dish is a piece of corned beef with fried cabbage and potatoes, but you can also make something a little more delicious. For example, classic Irish stew, soda bread, or onion soup.

Throw a green party

Try hosting a mini-festival in your home. Invite friends and arrange for everyone to wear the main color of the holiday. Make green beers, themed decorations, and meals together.