St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17th as a cultural and traditional day for spiritual renewal. This is the death day of St. Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. Saint Patrick was born in 385 AD along the west coast of Great Britain. At the age of 16, he was kidnapped and sold to an Irish sheep farmer. At the age of 22, he escaped and returned to Britain where he spent 12 years In a monastery. Then he went back to Ireland as a missionary. He is known for his two works- Epistola, a denunciation of British mistreatment of Irish Christians and the Confession, a spiritual autobiography.

First St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in the United States on March 17, 1762, and since then is celebrated widely around the world especially in Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Every year between 150,000 and 250,000 marchers take part in the parade.

The celebrations include public parades, games, music, and songs, games. On St Patrick’s Day, it is customary to wear shamrocks or green clothing or accessories. The Shamrock is the National Flower of Ireland. It is a three-leaved plant. St. Patrick used it to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagans. Green represents spring and the lush color of Ireland referred to as “Emerald Isle”. Green was adopted as the color of the Friendly Brothers of St Patrick. People who are not wearing green are pinched. The traditional  St. Patrick’s Day dish is beef and cabbage.