The Irish are nuts for St. Patrick's Day, a national holiday and 5-day festival. Thankfully, they were kind enough to share the March 17th celebrations with countries like Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina partaking in the fun.
St. Patrick's Day Traditions You don't need to travel to Ireland to share in the modern-day celebrations; although, I imagine it would be fantastic to see the Irish celebrate this national holiday on home turf. Either way, here are some ways to bring St. Patty to you and yours: - watch a parade (many cities have annual parades) - wear green - decorate with shamrocks (see significance below) - drink beer (Guinness of course) - eat or make pub food - visit your local Irish Pub - eat green pancakes (at least that's what my mom made me when I was little)
Facts - st patrick was a christian missionary and recognized as patron saint of Ireland - celebrated in Ireland since before 1600s - official public holiday in Ireland - believed to have morphed into a one-day 'break' in the middle of lent (hence the eating and drinking) - why celebrate on Mar 17? that is the day St. Patrick passed - the shamrock's association with St. Patrick: apparently, he used it to demonstrate the Holy Trinity - celebrations now mostly used to showcase Ireland and its traditions vs religious roots