History of St. Patrick's Day

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A Wee Bit 'O History

When you think of St. Patrick’s Day, you probably think of people decked out in green (green shirts, green ties, green necklaces, etc.) and some wearing pins of green and white that read “Kiss Me, I’m Irish”. You might also be dreaming of that corned beef and cabbage dinner you’re going to have. But do you really know how the day originated?

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th, the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have celebrated this day as a religious holiday for centuries. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the season of Lent, Irish families attend church service in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon into the evening hours. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast on the traditional meal of Irish bacon (now corned beef) and cabbage. It became a National Holiday in Ireland in 1903.

The first parade wasn't held in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City, on March 17, 1762; although there are claims that the first parade actually took place in Boston in 1737.

Until the mid-nineteenth century, most Irish immigrants in America were members of the Protestant middle class. During the Great Potato Famine in Ireland in 1845, close to a million poor, uneducated, Catholic Irish began to pour into America to escape starvation. Due to their religious beliefs, the immigrants had trouble finding even the most menial of jobs. When Irish Americans took to the streets to celebrate their heritage, they were portrayed in cartoons as drunk and violent. Unknown to many, the poem "The Night Before Christmas" was initially written to detail how Christmas should be celebrated by the Irish immigrants in New York City.

The wearing of the green goes back to the Irish Rebellion when Irish soldiers fought off the British in their bright red uniforms. Before that, the color associated with the day had been blue. The Irish soldiers sang the song “The Wearing of the Green” during the war in 1798 and since that time the color was changed to green.

Today, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated all over the world including such places as Japan, Singapore, Russia and Australia.