I found this article that explains what this day of “Green” is all about.

What is St. Patrick’s Day anyway?

Saint Patrick is a patron saint of Ireland. He is considered responsible for converting the Irish to Christianity. Saint Patricks Day (or St. Paddy’s Day or Paddy’s Day or, Americanized, Patty’s Day) is a feast day celebrating Saint Patrick, and takes place on 17th of March (the anniversary of his death in the fifth century).

What is the meaning Of Saint Patricks Day?

The modern holiday is based on the original Christian saint’s feast day, which is also considered to be the date of the saint’s death in 1737.

Saint Patrick was born in Wales during the late fourth century (AD 385) to wealthy Roman parents (his given name is speculated as Maewyn Succat or Magonus Sucatus). He was the grandson of a priest and the son of a tax collector. As a teen in the early 400’s Patrick was captured and brought over from Scotland to be a slave in pagan Ireland.  For six years he slaved as a shepherd, herding pigs and sheep, and began to have religious visions. While spending time in prayer, Patrick found himself retreating back to the God he had learned about when he was younger. Inspired by a dream, he successfully escaped his bondage and went back to England, traveling throughout the region.

How did it begin?

Irish immigrants coming to America brought their love of Saint Patrick with them. On March 17, 1762, Irish soldiers who served in the English miliary marched through New York City. The parade and music stirred their emotions and brought back memories of Ireland, and fellow soldiers they had lost. Irish Americans began observing the holiday publicly in Boston and held the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade (organized by the Charitable Irish Society) in New York City in 1766.

Even today, the St. Patrick Day parade is a mixture of religous beliefs, and many people go to Ireland for the festivities, fireworks and the parade. Parades take place in other places too: London, Paris, Rome, Moscow, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore as well as throughout the Americas.

Do the Irish celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day?

Saint Patricks Day is a holiday for the Irish people. It is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland, and a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Montserrat, and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. In the rest of Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and New Zealand, it is widely celebrated but is not officially a holiday.

The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for thousands of years. Ireland’s cities all hold their own parades and festivals.  In recent years the celebrations in Dublin have been extended to a week-long event called St Patrick’s Festival!

Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated worldwide by Irish people and increasingly by non-Irish people (usually in Australia, North America, and Ireland) as well. Americans have adopted this holiday like fanatics: wearing green, drinking (green) beer, and eating corned beef and cabbage (sometimes green too). In Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green for the holiday!

About the author: Dennis Orwell specializes in writing professional reviews and is part Irish. He is currently working on things for St Patricks Day.

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