ST. PATRICK’S DAY: Celebrations and Traditions - Handmade By Heroes

ST. PATRICK’S DAY: Celebrations and Traditions

March 15, 2017

ST. PATRICK’S DAY: Celebrations and Traditions

BACKGROUND

March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day.

For more than 1,000 years, Irish people have been observing and celebrating this special day in honor of St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day was considered a religious holiday. Traditionally, Irish families attend church in the morning then they celebrate in the afternoon. Even if St. Patrick’s Day coincides with the Christian’s season of lent where meat consumption is prohibited, Irish people would still drink, dance and feast on bacon and cabbage, the traditional St. Patrick’s Day Irish meal.

Today, this day is no longer solely celebrated by the Irish people but also by all people around the world who are Irish-at-heart. St. Patrick’s Day has now become an international festival and people around the world now celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Irish cultural activities that includes dancing, parades, special cuisines and lots and lots of green.

Yearly, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on the 17th of March which was widely believed as the day St. Patrick died around 460 A.D.

ST. PATRICK DAY PARADES AND CELEBRATIONS



source: smartdestination

Ironically, the very first St. Patrick’s Day Parade took place not in Ireland but in the United States of America on March 17, 1762. Irish soldiers who were serving in the English military during those times gathered and marched through the streets of New York playing their Irish inspired music.

Thirty-five years after the first St. Patrick’s Day parade and celebrations in the United States, Irish patriotism among American immigrants flourished and groups such as the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and Hibernian Society were formed. These groups were also known as the Irish Aid Societies. Annual parades were organized by each group that features bagpipes and drums.

By 1848, there were already many Irish Aid societies that were formed in the United States. Then, the Irish Aid societies from New York decided to unite and create a single parade to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

Today, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade is the oldest civilian parade in the world and the largest parade in the United States of America. Over 150,000 people participate in the parade and around 3 million spectators line up the 1.5 mile parade route just to watch the event that takes more than 5 hours to finish. Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Savannah also celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with parades that involve up to 20,000 participants each.

Other countries that celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th include Canada, Australia, Russia, Japan, and Singapore. They also hold parades, concerts, theater productions and fireworks during the festivities.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY TRADITIONS

 



source: thegutsygourmet

During St. Patrick’s Day, expect to feast on corned beef, cabbage and Irish soda bread. During the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in 2009, more than 26 billion pounds of beef and almost 2.3 billion pounds of cabbages were produced in the United States.

Other St. Patrick’s Day Traditions Include:

The Shamrock



source: shamrockmom

Also known as the “seamroy” by the Celts was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland that symbolizes spring’s rebirth. Irish people wear shamrock as a symbol of pride and their heritage. It is also a symbol of Irish nationalism.

Irish Music



source: yourlivingcity

During St. Patrick’s Day, music plays an important part in the celebration. Since St. Patrick’s Day is associated with the Irish culture, Irish music that tells stories of Irish legends, heroes and history are played during the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.

Today, Irish bands such as The Chieftains, Clancy Brothers, and Tommy Makem are gaining attention because the instruments that these bands use have been the same instruments that have been used for centuries. Instruments like the fiddle, uilleann pipes, tin whistle, and the bodham are just some of them.

The Leprechaun



source: funnynwallpaper

Known in the Irish Folklore as the “lobaircin” which means “small bodied fellow”, the belief in leprechauns started from the Celtics’ belief in fairies. According to the Celtic folklore, leprechauns are known for their trickery and their love for treasures most especially gold.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all!




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