St. Patrick’s Day: An Intriguing Holiday

The upcoming St. Patrick’s Day is on March 17th, which is a Tuesday. Normally, students at our school don’t tend to celebrate this holiday very often, but it’s still an important part of our culture. St. Patrick’s Day has a great deal of history that’s a part of its tradition and important to many people around the world.

When they first arrived in the Americas, Irishmen were not widely accepted due to their Protestantism. This changed as more immigrants arrived due to the Great Potato Famine, and soon Irishmen were gaining power in the Americas, causing the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations to become more widespread.

The many parades held in St. Patrick’s honor started in 1601 in Florida. The interest in these parades grew primarily in the major and original cities of America, including Chicago, New York, and Boston.

Chicago, in addition to its parade, is known for its green river. The annual dyeing of it on St. Patrick’s Day started originally to identify sources of pollution in the river, but eventually an Irishman came up with the idea that the green color could be used for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day as well. At first, the amount of dye put in could make the green color last for a week, but this was harmful to the environment. Thus, they put less so that the river would only stay green for a few hours.

Another important aspect to this holiday is the annual parade in New York. The oldest and most popular parade in the US, this parade celebrates St. Patrick’s Day on an annual basis, consisting of around 150,000 participants and millions of spectators. Although the primary parade is in New York, there are also other large parades in other influential cities.

Shamrocks, the normal three-leaved clovers from Ireland, are also an important part of St. Patrick’s Day. Legend says that St. Patrick himself explained the holy trinity using the three leaves of a shamrock, giving it its importance.

And of course, let's not forget about our dear friends the leprechauns. Their name comes from the Irish word for small-bodied fellow, and although today they are thought of as jolly and mischievous, leprechauns, surprisingly, were originally sinister and menacing tricksters in Irish folklore.

So the next time it’s March 17, remember to think about how St. Patrick’s Day came to be, and also try to wear green.