St.
Patrick’s Day
The annual St. Patrick's Day Parade along Fifth Avenue in New York...
NEW YORK (T T) — A number of significant St. Patrick's Day parades took place across the country on Saturday, honoring Irish history. Some events observed the festival one day early, such as a significant milestone in Savannah, Georgia, and the grand marshaling of a trailblazing female business leader in New York.
Irish Catholic immigrants played a major role in popularizing the festival,
which honors Ireland's patron saint. Some parades were moved up from Sunday,
which is a day of worship for Christians, to March 17, which is St. Patrick's
Day.
The St. Patrick's Day Parade in Manhattan is one of the
biggest celebrations of Irish heritage worldwide, dating back to 1762, 14 years
before the United States Declaration of Independence.
In order to commemorate their family's Irish heritage and the customs that
influenced their upbringing, Megan Stransky of Houston and two relatives organized
a Broadway weekend to take place during the parade.
The annual St. Patrick's Day Parade along Fifth Avenue in New
York...
History
of St. Patrick’s Day
Ireland's patron saint is St. Patrick, according to
USA Today. His captors took him captive and sold him into slavery on the Emerald
Isle. After a while he managed to get away, but he came back and spread
Christianity across the island.
The story of St. Patrick using the shamrock to spread
Christianity to others is just one of the many myths surrounding him. He
described the phenomenon of the shamrock's three leaves and one blossom. This
is comparable to the Holy Trinity, in which God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
are all parts of one being. Wearing a shamrock to honour St. Patrick's Day has
made it the official flower of Ireland.
Irish and Irish American people can commemorate their heritage on this day.
Prior to America's observance of the day, it was a solemn religious holiday,
and only after did the drinking stereotype develop.
Why
is it celebrated on March 17th?
Despite the fact that St. Patrick was reputedly born in
Britain in 386, it is nevertheless a bank holiday and a significant family
celebration in Ireland. March 17th is St. Patrick's Day since that is when it
is thought that St. Patrick passed away.
Is
St. Patrick’s Day a federal holiday?
Since St. Patrick's Day is not a government holiday in the
United States, most shops and establishments will remain open despite parades
and other festivities. Since it falls on a Sunday this year, banks will not be
open.
The founder of St. Patrick's Day was not Irish by birth.
"What is the true story of St. Patrick's Day?" is a question that
many people have. Honoring St. Patrick, an Irish patron saint who passed away
in the fifth century, is the name of the feast.
Yet according to Marion Casey, a clinical assistant
professor of Irish Studies at New York University, St. Patrick is believed to
have been a Roman citizen of Britain who was taken as a slave and transported
to Ireland, where he either escaped or was freed, returned as a priest, and
converted Druids to Christianity. This information was previously provided to
TIME.
If you've ever wondered, "Why do we celebrate St. Patrick's Day on March
17?" it's because it's thought that's when he passed away.
Kids throwing beads to St. Patrick's Day Parade goers
St.
Patrick’s Day began as a Catholic Feast Day
In the event that someone asks you, "Why is St.
Patrick's Day celebrated?" It began as a Feast Day honoring St. Patrick in
1631 and was one of numerous church holidays observed by the Catholic Church.
But the festival, which Irish immigrants brought to the United States, evolved
into a global celebration of Irish culture and an expression of Irish-American
pride.
According to legend, St. Patrick taught Christianity using shamrocks.
According to legend, St. Patrick taught the Christian
concept of the Trinity—that is, the existence of a Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit—using the shamrock, a three-leaf clover. In 1726, Irish cleric and
botanist Caleb Threlkeld wrote about the relationship and stated that the
shamrock was the national symbol and holiday's emblem.
According to National Geographic, historians assert that the plant itself is
legendary and unrelated to any scientific species, suggesting that the story is
probably a work of fiction. As a symbol of Ireland during 18th-century
uprisings against Britain, the shamrock grew to be more widely linked with the
country.
Green
became connected to St. Patrick’s Day after Irish rebellions
St Patrick day fireworks. Irish party.
Irish green has political underpinnings. The Great Irish
Rebellion of 1641, in which Catholic local authorities rebelled against the
English crown and used a green flag with a harp as an emblem, is whence the
colour originated, according to Timothy McMahon, vice president of the American
Conference for Irish Studies, who previously told TIME.
During the Irish Rebellion of 1798, green was once more
donned. Irish forces propagandized the nationalistic ballad "The Wearing
of the Green," immortalizing the association of the colour with Ireland.
Irish tradition connected blue with the country prior to these uprisings,
according to Smithsonian Magazine.
The
first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in the U.S.
March 17, 1601, saw the earliest parade commemorating the
Catholic Feast Day of St. Patrick ever documented, taking place in a Spanish
colony in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. Irish soldiers in the English
military marched in Boston in 1737 and New York City in 1762—more than a
century later.
St.
Patrick’s Day was promoted by the Irish government
The National Museum of Ireland states that in the early
1950s, the Irish National Agricultural and Industrial Association staged a
parade in Dublin to highlight Irish industry, spurred on by Irish-Americans.
From 1970 until the establishment of the St. Patrick's Day Committee in 1995,
Dublin Tourism was in charge of the parade. This allowed the festival to expand
into a weekend and eventually a week.
According to Irish news source The Journal, the government started the
week-long St. Patrick's Day Festival in 1995. A campaign by the Irish
government that year helped to popularize the holiday.
Leprechauns
originated in Irish folklore
The otherworldly fairies, sometimes known as sprites, were
believed to either ruin people's intentions or to bestow luck and protection
upon them. According to National Geographic, the earliest known documented
account of leprechauns was in a medieval tale about three enchanted fairies,
or sprites, who drug the King of Ulster into the sea.
Thanks to the 19th-century portrayal of leprechauns as grumpy shoemakers
guarding gold, the folklore became more well-known. Walt Disney's portrayal of
a happier leprechaun set the stage for the modern, commercialized image.
“Lucky” four-leaf clovers are real—but rare
While most people link the saint and his holiday with
regular three-leaf clovers, there has been a lot of talk about
"lucky" four-leaf clovers. The plants are unusual, but they exist,
according to Vincent Pennetti, a doctorate candidate at the University of
Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, who told the
Associated Press that a recessive feature is required for the development of a
fourth leaf.
An
American union started dyeing the Chicago River green decades ago
One of the most well-known St. Patrick's Day traditions in
the United States is Chicago's temporary green river naming ceremony, which
involves 40 pounds of eco-friendly dye. According to NPR, city workers began
using green dye in 1955 to help locate the source of the sewage in the river.
According to Chicagoist, Stephen Bailey, the business manager for the Chicago
Journeymen Plumbers Local Union, saw a plumber's white dungarees stained vivid
green, which gave rise to the idea to dye the entire river.
According to the
Illinois tourism website, the Plumbers Local Union started the custom in 1962
by dying the river green for a week with 100 pounds of dye. The practice is
still going strong today.
Ahead of the official St. Patrick's Day 2024 festivities, Chicago turned its
river emerald green on March 16 in front of onlookers.
An aerial picture shot with a drone shows the Chicago River after it was dyed green on March 13, 2021
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