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The celebration of St. Patrick’s Day was originally a religious celebration during Lent, coming from Ireland and specifically from the city of Dublin. Still over time, it has been mixed with pagan festivals. In addition, it is now a tradition that has been adopted by many countries worldwide.
So, every March 17, this celebration of St. Patrick takes place. In every city where it is celebrated, there are parades and parties; the buildings are illuminated with green color. There are festivals of whiskey, beer, and everything is great fun and joy, including in Dublin. But we must clarify that the original color representing St. Patrick is not green but blue.
Some say that perhaps this tone has to do with the order to which this priest indeed belonged. Possibly the green has been taken as a reference, perhaps because of the symbol of the shamrock, typical of Ireland, or with the nationalist movement of the country. Next, we will clarify a little more about its history and places of celebration worldwide.
Who was St. Patrick, and what is the meaning of the famous 3-leaf clover?
As many believe, he was born at the end of the 4th century and was of English origin and not Irish. It is said that St. Patrick was from Wales or Scotland and that at some point, he was arrested as a prisoner of some pirates being taken as a slave to Ireland. After several years he managed to escape from captivity.
Later he became a Catholic priest and returned to Ireland, but with the mission to evangelize those lands, and it is for that reason that it is said that he was the first to introduce Christianity in that country. He then decided to travel throughout the island. He began to create churches, schools, and monasteries since he had the advantage of mastering the language, thus becoming the patron saint of Ireland.
As for the symbol of the 3-leaf clover, it is said that this priest took the clover as an example to explain to the Irish, who were mostly illiterate, the concept of the Holy Trinity; that is, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Thus symbolizing the famous dogma of the Catholic Church. There was only one God but in 3 different forms. Therefore, the figure of the 3-leaf clover is the symbol of Ireland’s national holiday and good luck. Saint Patrick died in 461, being already a Bishop.
Why is St. Patrick’s Day celebrated on March 17 every year?
Since the 5th century, specifically in 1631, on that date of March 17, the religious celebration of the death of this missionary began to take place. Therefore, we are talking about a festival in commemoration of the personage for several centuries; due to work in spreading Christianity.
But evidently, it was not celebrated with parades or anything like what we see today since it is a sacred celebration for Ireland. Then things began to change with the arrival of migrants to the U.S.A., and parades and other elements were added, being now this combination so different from its origin.
It is said that the first parade was annexed in 1737 in the city of Boston, then in 1762, the city of New York was incorporated, and later in 1962, the city of Chicago.
Where else is St. Patrick’s Day celebrated?
As mentioned before, its origin is Irish. Still, today it is celebrated in other parts of the world with an Irish community, not only in the European continent but also in the American continent.
At the European continent level, we have, for example, in Spain, specifically in Murcia, as they consider that he is also their patron, because in 1452, in the battle of Los Alporchones, in these lands, there was a confrontation between the soldiers of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada and the Castilian troops; the victory was given on March 17, assuming that the saint had been the author of this success.
In Denmark, specifically in Copenhagen, the same activities are also carried out, such as a big parade, dances with typical Irish music, drinking green beer, and for this, they use a game called three legs; it is a race through the different pubs of the city, and in each one, they must drink the beverage.
In Germany, Munich; since 1996, parades have been held on St. Patrick’s Day, and every year, they are more popular and massive, where Irish and traditional music is also danced and the typical beer of the place.
In Glasgow, Scotland, in addition to the typical festivities for that day, such as dancing, drinks, and Irish music, the bars and pubs also tend to perform live poetry readings; to promote the word.
In London, England, their parade is quite long, covering about 2.5 Km, where you can observe, of course, music, comedy of great level in Trafalgar Square, and drinking in some Irish pubs.
In North America, we mention specifically Boston, Chicago, which are famous because they dye their river with green color. It is also celebrated in Savannah, Georgia, but the most famous is the one in New York.
Since 1762, with the arrival of immigrants, it has become the most important event in the city; since that time, the Irish sang their songs and celebrated in honor of St. Patrick. It is estimated that about 2,000 people attend the grand parade in New York, with the participation of 150,000 members. In addition, the Big Apple is home to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which you can visit.
St. Patrick’s Day is also celebrated in other parts of Central and South America, such as Mexico and Argentina. For example, in Mexico, in the middle of the XIX century in Monterrey, Mexicans and Irish immigrants united to fight and defend against the intervention of the U.S.A., thus bringing these two nationalities together to fight for the same purpose.
In Argentina, specifically in Buenos Aires, between 1820 and 1860, a good part of Irish immigrants arrived due to the famine in the XIX century. On St. Patrick’s Day, a parade is held on Avenida de Mayo and the Pub Crawl throughout the city. It is said that, outside Ireland, at least the 5th part of this Irish community resides in Argentina.
Thanks to globalization, this celebration is undoubtedly taking place in more places. This is a perfect opportunity to visit and enjoy an Irish pub, its dances, and music anywhere on the planet; some organize famous theme parties.
