St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated each year on March 17th which is the death date of Saint Patrick, the foremost Patron Saint of Ireland. It was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century. The feast day was a day of celebration which included; public parades, festivals, wearing of green and shamrocks which is what St. Patrick used to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish. On this day the Christians lifted restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol which is what has encouraged the holiday’s known alcohol consumption.
Two other fun facts I learned about while reading about St. Patrick’s Day are:
1) The first ever St. Patrick’s Day parade was actually in the United States in NYC, not in Ireland on March 17th, 1762. Today this parade is the world’s oldest civilian parade, largest in the United States and the procession can take more than five hours.
2) In modern- day Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day was a religious occasion and pubs were mandated to close on March 17th up until the 1970’s. Then in 1995, the Irish government started to use the interest in St. Patrick’s Day to drive tourism and showcase Ireland and Irish Culture. Now, about 1 million people take part in the St. Patrick's Day Festival in Dublin.
Boston along with Chicago, Philadelphia and Savannah are known for their large celebrations and parades involving between 10,000 and 20,000 participants. If you are from Boston you know that South Boston is known for is big St. Patrick's Day celebration including the annual parade. This year the parade is on Sunday the 17th @ 1:00. It will go West Broadway to East Broadway and end at Andrew Square. The following link will provide you with more detailed information: http://southbostonparade.org/the-parade/
Make sure to wear your green and enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations this weekend!
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