This is a day where the Irish and the world envelop themselves in green clothing to celebrate the coming of Christianity to Ireland and commemorate the death of St Patrick who was the one responsible for the same. St Patrick was born in England and came to Ireland along with his message of Christianity. In the years that followed, the culture was taken up by the Irish and with the death of St Patrick on 17th March 461 AD, this day is known as St Patrick’s day.
Understanding the origins of St Patrick’s day now takes us to a very surprising fact. The very first parade celebrating the day was in 1601 in Florida in the United States. This brings the question of why the US and not Ireland hosted this gathering? The answer is pretty clear. Like Betway indicated, huge number of Irish were found living in the US from as early as the 17th century.
It is in 1630 that the date was officially made a part of other important dates in the Catholic year. In 1762 New York saw the first parade conveying the message. Since then, it has been noted as one of the cities that holds the biggest gathering celebrating the day. Dublin, the capital of Ireland only saw the procession after many decades. It was in 1931 that the city of Ireland saw the honoring take place.
It is also a very interesting fact that alcohol was banned in Ireland on this particular day from the year 1927 to 1961. The city of Dublin alone sees about five hundred thousand visitors and the net expenditure of the five-day celebration is about 74 million euros. This makes it clear about the magnitude of celebrations.
Not just an Irish thing!
St Patrick’s day is not just celebrated in Ireland or even in the United States, the color green travels across different continents and many boundaries. The celebrations are held in cities across the globe and even in the remotest of Islands. Montserrat is such a place. Here it is noted that even as early as 1678, 5o% of the people who lived here were of Irish descent.
The island throws a 10-day full-fledged festival to remember the day. If you think it is just the western hemisphere that carries the day with such glory, you are wrong. Cities in the Asian continent like Mumbai and Tokyo celebrate the day in their flair.
The Irish are everywhere. To back this up, it’s seen that about 80 million people who live across various continents hold close to the fact that they are the mighty Irish. This brings a very clear picture as to why the day is celebrated so popularly.
It is strange but a fact that the city of Chicago colors their river green to express their unity with the joyous Irish. These festivals have made different places famous tourist hotspots. Such is the glory of St Patrick’s day and it will remain to be one of the most popular celebrations.