In the spirit of St Patty’s day is important to know how the famous green holiday was created. St.
Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and
the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have
observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years. On
St. Patrick’s Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent,
Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and
celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption
of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast—on the
traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.
The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place not in Ireland but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City
on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the
soldiers reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen
serving in the English army.
Over the next 35 years, Irish patriotism among American immigrants
flourished, prompting the rise of so-called “Irish Aid” societies like
the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and the Hibernian Society. Each
group would hold annual parades featuring bagpipes (which actually
first became popular in the Scottish and British armies) and drums.
In 1848, several New York
Irish Aid societies decided to unite their parades to form one New York
City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Today, that parade is the world ‘s
oldest civilian parade and the largest in the United States, with over
150,000 participants.
