Every year on the 17th of March, Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated. This tradition has been carried on for over 1,000 years and is seen by many Irish folk as a religious holiday. Saint Patrick’s day falls in the middle of the Christian season of Lent. Traditionally, Irish families attended church and would celebrate the holiday later on in the day. For Lent, some people would give up consuming meat; however, these were waived for the Irish who celebrated on Saint Patrick’s Day so that they could dance, drink and feast on traditional Irish meals including cabbage and Irish bacon. 

A much less traditional but a more popular way to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day is by wearing green. In fact right around 81% of the entire U.S. population will wear green on Saint Patrick’s Day (www.irishcentral.com).

Junior Alex Kubala said, “I like wearing green because it compliments my hair and eyes, which makes it so I can wear pretty much anything with it.”

The very first Saint Patrick’s Day was celebrated March 17th of 1601. The idea of wearing green for this holiday did not actually come forth until the 18th century. The reason that green had been introduced into Saint Patrick’s Day festivities was because the Shamrock had become the national symbol of Ireland. Because of how prominent green shamrock’s are in the landscapes of Ireland, the color green has stuck with this holiday ever since. People continue to wear this color and rep the shamrock typically because of two reasons: leprechauns and religion. People believe that wearing green on Saint Patrick’s Day keeps you unseen by Leprechauns which will pinch you if they see you. As for religion, the shamrock represents the holy trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

Junior Nick Archer said, “I’m partially Irish, but I don’t celebrate. However, I wear green to show my appreciation for Saint Patrick’s Day and so I don’t get pinched.”

So now that you know a little bit more about Saint Patrick’s Day and its history, what are your plans for this year’s Saint Patty’s Day? Are you wearing green this year to stay away from the Leprechauns, or even just celebrating because it’s your heritage? Let us know by filling out the Google Form sent to your school email.