Shelby Welker, sw256@uakron.edu
Every year, on March 17th, we celebrate St. Patrick's day with shamrock shakes, four-leaf clovers, and cartoon leprechauns (Stella says “they’re magically delicious”). While many of these things seem like a modern tradition, the holiday began over 1000 years ago. We celebrate on March 17th because that is believed to be the day that St. Patrick died. The saint
is credited with bringing Christianity into Ireland, and his death day has been celebrated ever since. The holiday was brought to America by Irish immigrants, who were really the only people to celebrate, and it grew in popularity due to the large number of Irish immigrants after the potato famine. Due to the discrimination many Irish immigrants faced in America, St. Patrick's day became a proud holiday for Irish Americans. It wasn’t widely celebrated until the 1900s, but now the decorations can be found in many stores across the country, and the holiday has become popular with more people. Many of the traditions, however, date back to the original celebrations in Ireland. Leprechauns, for example, stem from the mischievous fairies of Celtic (Irish) mythology. Shamrocks were considered a sacred plant to the Celtic people and are another original symbol of St. Patrick's day. Originally the color of St. Patrick’s day was blue, not green, because many pictures depicted St. Patrick wearing blue. This was changed when many people started referring to Ireland as “the Emerald Isle.” The holiday has been shaped over the years by Irish history and has flourished into the St. Patrick's day of today.
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