We all know that every year on the seventeenth of March you wear green, but not many people actually know why or the history behind Saint Patrick’s day. There are many ways people celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day in America. Such as parades in many different states, also many kids are taught that if they forget to wear green on Saint Patrick’s Day; they will get pinched! They are told stories about leprechauns, lucky four-leaf clovers and gold. Some classrooms even have leprechauns visit over night. Just for the kids to get into the fun and festive time started by the Irish. The sad thing is most people don’t know what we are truly celebrating for.

Over in the little island called Ireland is where Saint Patrick’s Day originated. It became a public holiday in Ireland in 1904. Back in the seventeenth century a feast was held for the death of one of Irelands patron saint’s, Saint Patrick. Patrick was remembered for bringing Christianity to Ireland during the fifth century. Most people know that Saint Patrick’s Day is a huge hit in Ireland. They start celebrating on the fourteenth of March through the seventeenth. They have huge parades and dances. The Irish celebrate all day and into the night. They feast on lots of different traditional Irish foods, including corned beef, corned cabbage, coffee, soda bread, potatoes, and shepherd’s pie.

Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in America because of the Irish immigrants who still had a desire to spread and celebrate their culture. Around the end of the 19th century, Saint Patrick’s Day was spreading on the streets of major Irish cities such as Boston, Chicago, and New York. Plus others like New Orleans, San Francisco, and Savannah. This day is in the same purpose as Halloween or the Fourth of July. Every year on March 17 is a chance for all Americans to become Irish for a day.