Saint Patrick’s Day is one of the holidays– up amongst the ranks of the most celebrated days with Valentine’s Day, Fourth of July, and more. No matter where someone might be or where they’re from, they’ll don the emerald getup and cheer to the luck of the Irish; and those who don’t follow the tradition are met with savage pinches. Naturally though, that begs the question: Why do we do this? What exactly are we celebrating? Even if the holiday has passed, it’s a bizarre question worth responding to with an equally bizarre answer. 

This story begins with a young boy named Maewyn sometime in the 5th century CE. Born in Roman Britain to a relatively wealthy family of priests, Maewyn lived quite a decent life. However, at the age of 16, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates. Dazed, confused, and frightened for his life, he found himself away from the world he knew and thrust into a life as a slave. Until he was 22, Maewyn toiled as a shepherd. It was then that he was visited by God, who told him to flee to the coast where a ship was waiting for him. However, Maewyn didn’t go back home. Instead, he fled to Gaul in modern-day France to a monastery where he converted to Christianity. 

He wouldn’t return to Ireland until 432 with the intent to convert Irish pagans to Christianity. Maewyn went on to convert thousands to the religion by utilizing shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity. According to legend, he confronted the pagans at the Hill of Tara and banished their traditional religious rites. From there, Catholicism became the main religion of Ireland. Maewyn continued his work until his death on March 17th, 461. His death christened him Saint Patrick, patron saint of the Irish, and March 17th officially became Saint Patrick’s Day. 

Afterwards, Saint Patrick’s Day became a religious holiday celebrated each year. These celebrations marked the beginning of wearing green but were also joined by musical festivals dubbed “céilithe.” Ironically, Saint Patrick’s Day lifted the restrictions of Lent on feasting and drinking so that the Irish could celebrate their patron saint. However, these celebrations were certainly not as elaborate as the ones we have now. For hundreds of years, Saint Patrick’s Day was concentrated solely in Ireland. But, it was around the 1600s that Saint Patrick’s Day started to be celebrated outside of Ireland. 

The earliest recorded date of Saint Patrick’s Day being celebrated outside of Ireland is March 17th, 1601 in St. Augustine, Florida in a large, festive parade. Gradually, celebrations became more popular, but it was still relatively obscure. It wasn’t until March 17th of 1772 that Irish soldiers in New York City celebrated in a massive procession to cope with their homesickness. Over the next 35 years, Irish patriotism amongst immigrants spiked to massive numbers. Associations dubbed “Irish aid societies,” such as the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and the Hibernian Society, sponsored large parades in major cities like Boston. From there, celebrations of Saint Patrick’s Day became more and more popular across all of the US and eventually, the rest of the world. 

Now, Saint Patrick’s Day is a widely celebrated holiday. Its religious connotations have fizzled out to simply be about the Irish. Chicago dyes their river green, pubs across the globe raise a pint, and back home in Ireland, the locals welcome another wonderful Saint Paddy’s Day. 

Happy (late) Saint Patrick’s Day!

Information received from “History of St. Patrick’s Day” from History.com, “The Origins of St. Patrick’s Day” from GPB.org, and “Saint Patrick’s Day” from Newworldencyclopedia.org.