A Lucky Day

St Patrick’s Day celebrates the death of Saint Patrick. The Irish celebrate him as he converted Ireland to Christianity, and built churches, and ministries. There are also many legends about him. For example, one says he drove out all the snakes in Ireland.

St Patrick’s Day became popular in the U.S. when a large number of Irish immigrants came to the U.S. Mass immigration to the U.S. from Ireland due to a famine in Ireland. The potato famine caused by the British caused over 1,000,000 deaths and forced people to find refuge.

People originally celebrated St Patrick’s Day with a big feast but now many cities, like New York and Boston, host parades and restaurants, fast food, and bars host events. Every year the Chicago River gets dyed green using vegetable-based dyes which only last a few days, originally they used regular dyes that lasted a week.

New York hosts the largest St Patrick’s Day parade in the U.S. The celebration lasts 5 and a half hours, starting on 7th Ave on 44th St and ending at 5th Avenue uptown at 79th Street. The 2nd largest parade in the U.S. takes place in the Savannah St Patrick’s Day Parade. This year it will host up to 350 marching units and up to 15,000 people.

Events are normally held in a green theme and some people may wear an orange beard to represent a leprechaun. Another common decoration or accessory, the four-leaf clover represents luck, which thought that if you find one it would bring good luck to those who find it.

In our school, not many students celebrate, as most of the people we interviewed said they only occasionally participate. Giovanni said “I find people not wearing green and pinch them” Edgar says he celebrates sometimes with his family but not every year.

Some of the St Patrick’s Day traditions include wearing a shamrock on your suits and dresses to represent the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirits. People also eat corned beef and cabbage because it is a common meal in Ireland.