St. Patrick’s Day - March 17, 2021

St. Patrick’s Day observes the death of St. Patrick, who was the saint patron of Ireland. The holiday has come to include lots of parades, celebrations of Irish culture, special food, music, dancing, and the color green. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17.

St. Patrick is mostly credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. St. Patrick was born in Roman Britain and was brought to Ireland as a slave at age 16. He escaped, but later returned and brought Christianity with him. The most well-known legend about St. Patrick is that he explained the concept of the Holy Trinity using the 3 leaves of a shamrock, a native irish clover.

The first St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated on March 17, 1601. In what is now St. Augustine, Florida, a Spanish colony held a parade to celebrate St. Patrick. More than a century later, Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched in New York City on March 17, 1772 to honor the Irish saint. Enthusiasm for St. Patrick's day parades grew in cities like New York, Boston, and early American cities grew from there.

This year, St. Patrick’s Day falls on Tuesday the 17th. Even though people celebrating cannot hold parades due to the pandemic, many will find another way to celebrate.