Saint Patrick's Day is a popular Irish holiday. It takes place every year on March 17th and celebrates Saint Patrick, the patron saint of the Irish.
Domaine du Goût switches gears to talk to you about a celebration where the star drink is beer!
The origins of Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day is an Irish holiday of Christian origin. It is an opportunity for the Irish to celebrate their culture and history.
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Who was Saint Patrick?
This celebration is named after a Scotsman whose real name was Maewyn Succat. He was later named "Saint Patrick." A 5th-century evangelist of Ireland, he is famous for converting Ireland to Christianity. Indeed, he is said to have explained the concept of the Holy Trinity to the Irish, especially to the lords of the Kingdom of Ireland using the three-leaf clover during a sermon at the Rock of Cashel. This story has largely shaped Ireland today, as the country is now predominantly Catholic. Moreover, it is thanks to this that the clover is one of Ireland’s main symbols! Every year, the Irish wear a clover on their lapel in memory of this religious heritage.
The other legend
Another legend also tells that Saint Patrick accomplished the feat of driving all the snakes out of Ireland by convincing them to drown in the waters surrounding the country. However, one last snake remained. The story goes that Saint Patrick showed the snake a small box and asked it to enter. The snake replied that it was too large to fit inside the box and that the box was too small to contain it, but Saint Patrick insisted otherwise. After much argument, the snake decided to enter the box to prove to Saint Patrick that he was wrong and that the box was indeed too small for him to fit inside. Once inside, Saint Patrick immediately closed the box and threw it into the sea. This legend is more likely a metaphor and a reference to the eradication of Irish pagan beliefs for conversion to Christianity.
Traditions
The holiday is celebrated on March 17th to honor the anniversary of the death of Saint Patrick, the evangelist of the Emerald Isle. This day is also an occasion for the Irish to welcome spring.
Contrary to what one might think, Saint Patrick's Day is not the Irish national holiday! Indeed, this is a misconception especially widespread in foreign countries and in the media. The reason is that Ireland does not have a national holiday in the strict sense, like July 14th in France or July 4th in the United States.
This celebration is a religious holiday established by the Christian Church in the 17th century. Highly respected by the Irish, it is observed in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and on the island of Montserrat. It is comparable to, for example, Saint Andrew's Day celebrated in Scotland.
A day that became a public holiday
It was in 1903 that Saint Patrick's Day was declared a public holiday thanks to the Bank Holiday Act of 1903, an act passed by the United Kingdom Parliament. When Saint Patrick's Day falls on a Sunday, it is moved to Monday. Irish citizens can therefore benefit from all the public holidays recognized by the government to which they are entitled.
This day is first and foremost a patriotic and festive event that celebrates Ireland and all its aspects.
Saint Patrick's Day has been popular in Ireland since the 10th century. It is primarily the enthusiasm created by the Irish government and the festive nature of the celebration that make this holiday popular. Popularity within the country, but also abroad among Irish expatriates, and increasingly among non-Irish people.
How is Saint Patrick's Day celebrated?
Every March 17th, Saint Patrick's Day is mainly celebrated in the streets, pubs, and all festive and warm places where it is possible to toast in honor of the Irish and Ireland.
The whole country lives to the rhythm of this holiday through the organization of huge parades, concerts, and traditional music sessions outdoors in the streets. It is also an opportunity to enjoy pints of Guinness and other Irish beers. Also, to eat typically Irish dishes such as cornish pasties (pastries filled with meat and vegetables), or Shepherd’s pie (an Irish meat and mashed potato casserole).
The program includes singing, dancing, and dressing up! Indeed, one of the symbols of Saint Patrick's Day is to dress and paint oneself green. Some even dress up as leprechauns, famous creatures from Irish folklore symbolizing Ireland just like the clover, the color green, and the Celtic harp. Others simply choose to dress up as Saint Patrick!
Saint Patrick's Day seen by foreigners
Remember, you don’t have to be Irish to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day! In Ireland, the Irish celebrate Saint Patrick's Day with anyone who wants to join, so you can be adopted as an Irish at heart! So if you decide to spend Saint Patrick's Day in Dublin and especially to attend the legendary Grand Parade on O’Connell Street, rest assured of the warm welcome from the locals!
Outside Ireland’s borders, this holiday is mainly seen as a celebration of what makes Ireland: clovers, Irish music, beer, and the color green.
Excessive beer consumption is widely associated with this holiday in the collective mind. However, this consumption is encouraged by breweries that make huge profits from this celebration. Indeed, in 2018, nearly 13 million pints of Guinness were consumed worldwide on Saint Patrick's Day.
Saint Patrick's Day around the world
It should be noted that the first Saint Patrick's Day celebration did not take place in Ireland but in the United States in the city of Boston in 1737. It was not until 1931 that the first parade took place in the land of Guinness.
This holiday has many followers worldwide. It is through Irish expatriates and descendants that the most emblematic of their holidays has become popularized.
Countries that celebrate Saint Patrick's Day
The United States has the largest Irish community due to immigration resulting from the Great Famine in Ireland between 1845 and 1852. As a result, many major American cities, especially those on the East Coast, fervently celebrate the Irish holiday. Boston, for example, and Chicago, which for 40 years has dyed its river, the Chicago River, green every year.
New York hosts the largest Saint Patrick's Day parade. It takes place on the famous 5th Avenue and gathers several hundred thousand people. The event, celebrated in the city since 1762, has grown over time into a massive event. It is now one of the most anticipated events by Americans each year.
Saint Patrick's Day is also celebrated in Canada, and Montreal has hosted the country’s largest parade since 1824.
In Buenos Aires and Argentina in general, there is also a large community of Irish descendants. Ireland was also the only European country to support Argentina during the Falklands War in 1982. It is also the birthplace of the famous Argentine Navy admiral Guillermo Brown. All these reasons explain why Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated in this South American country. Since 2009, the Irish embassy in Argentina has organized celebrations in the main cities of the country.
In France, many pubs celebrate the event. Concerts are also organized in several cities to introduce the music and customs of this homeland that fascinates so much!
And what about wine?
Known for its beers and whiskies, Ireland is much less known for its wines. And yet, the country produces them!
Indeed, although the sunshine in Ireland is nothing like that of other wine-producing countries such as France or Italy, some producers have managed the feat of producing wines on the rainy island.
In Ireland, wine is more akin to mead. Ingredients such as honey and spices are incorporated. The result is surprising and far from our traditional wines.
In County Cork at Kinsale, there is the only traditional Irish vineyard. The "Thomas Walk Vineyard," the vineyard of winemaker Thomas Walk. This man of German origin made the bold bet 37 years ago to make wine in Ireland. A successful bet! It is especially thanks to him and his red wines made from the Rondo grape variety that the country is now on the global wine map.
