Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
The celebrations associated with St. Patrick’s Day have evolved quite a bit over the years since it was first observed on March 17th in the mid 17th Century.
Originally the holy day (before it became known as a holiday) was associated with the color blue, not green. Leprechauns, longtime subject of Irish folklore, were not green either – they were red. Corned beef and cabbage is an Americanized version of the traditional Irish ham and cabbage. And “green beer,” well until the 1960s, pubs and taverns were closed in honor of Ireland’s Patron Saint.
Nearly a million Irish immigrated to America after the Great Potato Famine of 1845, and the close knit Irish community exhibited a strong pride, that continued to grow. Now, it’s hard to find anyone on St. Patrick’s Day who isn’t at least a wee bit Irish. And even harder to find is someone not wearing green who is yet to be pinched.
For more on St. Patrick’s Day, visit History.com. To celebrate with those in Ireland, visit:
