festivals and celebrations

Ireland

Saint Patrick´s Day

Saint Patrick's Day or the Feast of Saint Patrick is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on 17 March. It is named after Saint Patrick isthe most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland.


Facts about St. Patrick's Day Holiday

• St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
  
• In Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, people traditionally wear a small bunch of shamrocks on their jackets or caps. Children wear orange, white and green badges, and women and girls wear green ribbons in their hair.
• The actual color of St. Patrick is blue. Green became associated with St. Patrick's Day during the 19th century. Green, in Irish legends, was worn by fairies and immortals, and also by people to encourage their crops to grow.
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• The very first St. Patrick's Day parade was not in Ireland. It was in Boston in 1737.
• St. Patrick's Day takes place each year on March 17, the traditional religious feast day of Saint Patrick.
  Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional St. Patrick's Day dish. 
• Irish soda bread gets its name and distinctive character from the use of baking soda rather than yeast as a leavening agent.
• Lime green chrysanthemums are often requested for St. Patrick's Day parades and celebrations.
• More than 100 St. Patrick's Day parades are held across the United States. New York City and Boston are home to the largest celebrations.