This Day in Hist ory
?Saint Patrick?s Day?
B y Eva R.
T
he day, March 17, in the year 461, marks
the death of the Irish?s saint Maewyn
Succat, also known as Saint Patrick.
According to an article on LifeHacker, this
day eventually became a Feast Day in
Ireland, and with the advent of Irish
immigrants to the United States, Saint
Patrick's death began to be celebrated as a
national tradition in 1903.
Many people celebrate this holiday by
wearing green, attending parades, and
hanging up four-leaf clover symbols in and
around their homes. However, many may
not realize how this holiday came to be.
The patron saint of Ireland, whom we
know as Saint Patrick, was kidnapped at
age 16 and brought to Ireland as a slave.
He was enslaved for six years and during
this time he converted to Christianity.
Upon his escape, according to the
Encyclopedia Britannica, he returned to
Ireland to convert its people to Christianity.
By the time he died on March 17, 461, he
had started more than 300 Christian
churches as well as many schools and
monasteries throughout Ireland.
So why green?When the Irish went into
battle against the British Redcoats, the
14
Irish soldiers wore green. According to the
Lifehacker article, green eventually became
associated with the Irish and since Saint
Patrick was Irish, people wear green to
celebrate Saint Patrick's Day.
The Irish people came to celebrate the day
of his death with religious ceremonies and
feasting. U.S. cities with large amounts of
Irish immigrants, who had political power,
held massive celebrations which often
included parades. The first St. Patrick?s Day
parade was hosted by Boston in 1737, and
the second parade was held in New York
City in 1762, according to Encyclopedia
Britannica.
Even though this holiday is Irish in origin, it
is celebrated in the United States as well as
in several other countries including Great
Britain, Canada, Argentina, Australia, New
Zealand, Switzerland, Russia, and even
parts of Asia, according to Lifehacker.
Fu n Fact s:
·Ever sin ce 1962, Ch icago dyes it s
r iver gr een t o h on or t h is n at ion al
h oliday.
·Blu e w as t h e or igin al color
associat ed w it h St . Pat r ick ?s Day.