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Saint Patricks Day - Irish Traditions

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With St Patrick’s Day coming close, March 17th, Irish people across the globe will be preparing for the Saints day which falls on a Friday this year.

You are probably interested in learning more about this day for Ireland and what traditions us Irish have in Ireland to celebrate such a great day.

Did you know that St Patrick day in Ireland isn’t about claiming ones heritage or culture? It’s actually a holy day to celebrate St Patrick with many families flocking to mass together and afterwards sit down to a large meal, something similar to an Irish Sunday Dinner.

Wearing if the green - Although many people around the world wear clothing with the colour green, in Ireland people wear a small bunch of Shamrocks on the breast of their top or coat along with some green clothing. Some people will have their Shamrocks blessed in a special mass on the eve of St Patrick day.

Parades on St Patrick’s Day were practically unheard of in Ireland but with the huge success in the United States, such as the New York City St Patricks Day Parade, the Irish decided to ramp up their festivities by holding big parades. The St Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin this year, 2006, will expect 700,000 spectators and now of course with the “wearing of the green”.

It was illegal for pubs in Ireland to open on St Patrick’s Day until this law was reversed in the 70’s by the Irish Government, who says allowing Irish pubs to open would help drive tourism but some dispute it was another way for the government to pocket more taxes.

St Patrick’s Day in the United States was first celebrated in Boston on 1737, today is widely celebrated across the country and is usually a day of wearing green, drinking green beer and having St Patrick’s Day parties.

The above is just a number of traditions celebrated in Ireland and the United States on St Patrick’s day, something to wet the lips for next amazing St Patrick’s day celebrations.

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