Grab your green beads, hats and shirts – a day of green attire, pints and pleasure are straight ahead.
St. Patrick’s Day will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 17. The day originated as a religious holiday – honoring St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century – but it has evolved into a celebration of all things Irish.
Who was St. Patrick?
St Patrick was born in Great Britain in the late 4th century, according to History.com.
At age 16, he was taken prisoner and brought to Ireland, where he spent six years in captivity, possibly as a slave, according to History.com. Though he escaped, he later returned to Ireland as a missionary, to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to convert others in Ireland to Christianity.
He died on March 17 around the year 460. Hence the date to honor St. Patrick.
By the time he died “he had established monasteries, churches, and schools,” according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. “Many legends grew up around him – for example, that he drove the snakes out of Ireland and used the shamrock to explain the Trinity.”
To commemorate St. Patrick, the day of his death was recognized with religious services and feasts.
When did St. Patrick’s Day move beyond a religious celebration?
Up until the mid-20th century, St. Patrick’s Day was “modest and grounded in religion,” according to the Smithsonian.
“It was not until the 1960s that in Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day came to even resemble what we, here in the USA, celebrate today,” according to the Smithsonian.
In 1991, Congress designated March as Irish American Heritage month, but celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day date back to the 1600s.
How many Irish people live in America?
In 2023, 31.2 million Americans claimed Irish ancestry, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Cook County, Illinois, home to Chicago, is the nation’s county with the largest Irish American population, with 435,000 residents claiming Irish ancestry, the U.S. Census Bureau says.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the states with the highest rates of Irish American citizens are clustered in the New England region, with New Hampshire leading the way as just over 20% of New Hampshire residents claiming Irish heritage. In comparison,10.6% of New Yorkers claim Irish heritage, according to the U.S. Census.
As of 2023, 117,219 American residents were born in Ireland, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Contributing: USA Today Network
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: When is St. Patrick’s Day? Here’s what to know this year
Reporting by Victoria E. Freile, New York Connect Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
