What do the color green, parades and 17 March have in common? It is one of the world’s biggest parties – St Patrick’s Day (also known as the Feast of St Patrick).
St Patrick’s Day is celebrated by millions of people across the globe, who don the color green, drink green beverages and decorate houses and businesses in shamrocks. The wearing of green is a tradition that dates back to a story written about St Patrick in 1726. St Patrick (AD 385–461), used to wear green clothing, and was known to use the shamrock to illustrate the Holy Trinity.
How to observe
Wear green and head to your nearest Irish pub.
History
The Feast of St Patrick was started in the early 17 century. The day marks the death of St Patrick and was chosen as an official Christian feast day, observed by the Catholic Church. The day is also a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora around the world, especially in Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
