Saint Patrick's Day
- Mar 16
- 3 min read
Our family is Irish and German, and we take our Saint Patrick's Day celebration seriously!
Let's get one thing out of the way - It's ALWAYS Saint Patrick's Day and NEVER Saint PATTY'S day! Our uncle Pat would be rolling in the grave to hear it called anything other than Saint Patrick's Day...
Like most good traditions, Saint Patrick's Day origins come from our ancestors and the old country. Compiled from a Copilot search on the subject:
Saint Patrick's Day, celebrated on March 17, honors St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, and has evolved into a global celebration of Irish culture and heritage. It commemorates St. Patrick, a 5th-century Christian missionary born in Roman Britain, who was kidnapped at age 16 and enslaved in Ireland.
After six years, he escaped but later returned to Ireland to spread Christianity, establishing churches, monasteries, and schools. Saint Patrick is credited with converting much of Ireland to Christianity and is associated with legends such as using the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity and symbolically driving out snakes, which represent paganism.
The holiday marks the anniversary of his death on March 17.
The holiday has evolved into a secular celebration of Irish culture, especially in countries with large Irish diaspora communities like the United States, Canada, Australia, and the UK.
Some of the ways we celebrate Saint Patrick's Day here in America include:
Parades and festivals: The first recorded parade was in Boston in 1737, followed by New York City in 1762. Today, cities worldwide host parades featuring marching bands, bagpipes, and cultural displays.
Wearing green and shamrocks: Green symbolizes Ireland, the "Emerald Isle," and the shamrock represents the Holy Trinity.
Food and drink: Traditional meals include corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread, and beverages like Irish beer or whiskey, sometimes dyed green for the occasion.
Symbols and folklore: Leprechauns, rainbows, and pots of gold are popular motifs, reflecting Irish mythology and storytelling traditions.
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. Landmarks worldwide, such as the Sydney Opera House and Chicago River, are illuminated or dyed green to honor the day. The holiday has become a way for people of all backgrounds to celebrate Irish heritage, often summarized by the phrase, "Everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day".
Some fun facts about St. Patrick's Day:
Since 1962, Chicago has dyed its river bright green for St. Patrick’s Day. The environmentally safe dye lasts for several hours.
St. Patrick's Day is an official holiday in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland, and Montserrat.
As you might suspect, Guinness Sales Skyrocket around St. Patrick's Day. On the day itself, over 13 MILLION pints are consumed worldwide!
There is no corn in corned beef. The "corn" refers to large salt crystals used in the curing process, not actual corn. Eating corned beef and cabbage is an Irish American tradition.
Leprechauns are based on Irish mythology - The folklore is that these mischievous fairies are said to hide their pots of gold at the end of a rainbow.
St Patrick's real birth name is Maewyn Succat. He changed it to Patrick when he became a priest.
Over 31 million Americans have Irish Ancestry, which is nearly seven times the population of Ireland!
St Patrick's Day, along with New Year's Eve and July 4th are the top three drinking holidays in the U.S.
The world’s largest shamrock was drawn in Dublin, Ohio, measuring over 1,000 feet.
For those of you unlucky enough to NOT be Irish, we still welcome you with open arms (well, most of you) on Saint Patrick's Day. So, pick up your Guiness or your McDonald's Shamrock Shake and offer a toast to Saint Patrick!
I'll leave you with a couple of corny Irish jokes to brighten your day:
What do you call an Irishman who bounces off the walls? RICK O'SHEA
What's Irish and stays out all night? PATTY-O FURNITURE
What do you call an Irishman who hangs from the ceiling? Sean D’Olier.
What’s Dwayne Johnson’s Irish nickname? The Sham-Rock.
Policewoman says, “You're staggering.” Irishman says, “Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself!”
Why should you never iron a four-leaf clover? You don’t want to press your luck.
How can you tell an Irishman is having a good time? He’s Dublin over with laughter.
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