By: Katie Borders

National/World Editor

Known for its exciting religious and cultural ties to the Irish Saint Patrick, celebrations full of food, music, shamrocks, and more accompany Mar. 17, also known as St. Patrick’s Day. Saint Patrick is the primary patron saint in Ireland; therefore, this holiday was created to honor his death on Mar. 17, 461. Irish immigrants brought the tradition to the United States, and the Charitable Irish Society of Boston organized the first observance of Saint Patrick’s Day in the United States in 1737.

Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations normally revolve around public parades and festivals, and those who do not wear green are teased by receiving a pinch from family or friends. It is also a common tradition for children to set up their own leprechaun traps. Working with parents and family, children leave out their leprechaun traps in a fun attempt to catch a leprechaun. On the morning of Saint Patrick’s Day, children often find a sweet treat or something green and shiny in the trap — no leprechaun in sight. Leprechauns are trickster figures from Irish folklore, becoming strongly associated with Saint Patrick’s Day in American culture. According to Irish folklore, if a person catches a leprechaun, the leprechaun is obligated to grant the catcher three wishes, or he will tell them where their pot of gold is. If they see a rainbow on Saint Patrick’s Day, superstition commences that the leprechaun hides their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. 

To add on to Saint Patrick’s Day’s origins, the revered holiday has long been symbolized by shamrocks. The three-leaf shamrock became widely recognized as the three forms of God, Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, in early Irish Christianity. Shamrocks represent the holy trinity and celebrators commonly wear and display them specifically on St. Patrick’s Day. Another meaning of shamrocks in association with the holiday is the four-leaf clover connected with lucky properties that repel evil spirits and bad luck in the Celtic tradition.

Additionally, various Irish cultural dishes coincide with St. Patrick’s Day. The comforting classics include corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread, shepherd’s pie, Irish stew, and poxty. The Irish apple cake is also a traditional Irish dessert eaten on  St. Patrick’s Day, often with streusel on top.

Since St. Patrick’s Day originated in Ireland in 461, the holiday has become widely celebrated across the world, including in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Argentina, France, Brazil, Cairo, and New Zealand. Both a longstanding and popular celebration, St. Patrick’s Day continues to be widely renowned and recognized around the world.