Every year on 17 March, St. Patrick’s Day is
celebrated in many parts of the world but, especially, by Irish communities. This
is a cultural and religious celebration that honors the death date of St.
Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
At the beginning of the 17th century, St.
Patrick’s Day was made an official Christian feast day. This date commemorates
the arrival of Christianity in Ireland introduced by Saint Patrick. However,
this is also a celebration of the heritage and culture of the Irish.
This celebration usually consists of people wearing a
piece of green clothing, dancing, parades and typical Irish food and drinks
dyed in green. Many restaurants offer Irish food and drinks to celebrate this
date. Some of them are: Irish brown bread, Beef and Guinness pie, Irish coffee,
Irish potato soup, Irish stew and corned beef and cabbage.
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| Celtic cross |
What about the symbols? As you have noticed, the main
symbol of St. Patrick’s Day is a shamrock, the leaf of the clover plant and it’s
also a symbol of the Holy Trinity. Others religious symbols include snakes, serpents
and the Celtic cross. There are people who say that St. Patrick added the sun
to the Christian cross to create what is currently the Celtic cross. The harp,
which was used for centuries in Ireland, is another symbol of this date, as
well as the leprechaun and the pot of gold he tries to keep hidden.
Although this celebration has its origin in Ireland
is, indeed, celebrated in many parts of the world such as Canada, Japan, United
States and Russia. In addition, the events celebrated in St. Patrick’s Day vary
depending on the city. For instance, Boston has a large Irish-American
community and lots of visitors go there to celebrate this day. This city has
one of the largest parades and events are held in many of the Irish pubs in the
city. Another city which celebrates St. Patrick’s Day is Scranton, in Pennsylvania.
This city has one of the oldest and largest parades, which is one of the most
popular since 1862. Finally, New Orleans also held this celebration, since this
was a great point of immigration for the Irish.
To conclude, here you have a video where
you can watch how this date is celebrated in Chicago. Enjoy!
Sources:
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