St. Patrick's Day
What is the Irish holiday about?
Before the outbreak of the corona pandemic, Ireland's capital Dublin – like here in 2019 – could still celebrate exuberantly together.
© David Ardura / Shutterstock.com
Irish and Ireland fans around the world celebrate St. Patrick's Day on March 17th. What is it and what traditions are associated with it?
St. Patrick's Day, or as it is also called "St. Paddy's", is one of the most important days on the Irish calendar. Millions of Irish people around the world celebrate it every year – and people who feel connected in some way to Irish culture. However, very few of them know why on March 17th there is a boozy celebration with parades and music. An overview of the historical background, customs and traditions and the celebrations in times of the corona pandemic.
The history
Actually, St. Patrick's Day is not a day on which a special event is celebrated, but a day of remembrance in honor of an Irish Catholic national saint. Bishop Patrick of Ireland is believed to be the first Christian missionary to land on the Emerald Isle in the fifth century. He had previously come to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16, fled a little later and returned years later. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, March 17, 461 is the day of his death.
Some historians doubt that the venerated person St. Patrick was only a single person. Alternatively, the legend of the patron saint could combine the characteristics of two individuals. March 17th is a public holiday today in not only the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, but also the UK overseas territory of Montserrat and the Canadian province of Newfoundland.
The traditions
In St. Patrick's land of activity, March 17th was originally only celebrated with church services and smaller celebrations. Only Irish emigrants made a day out of him, especially in the USA, on which Irish culture is celebrated – presumably due to a longing for the old homeland.
From then on, expensive parades were organized in cities with a high proportion of Irish immigrants. The first took place in Boston in 1737, followed by New York City in 1762. Chicago, too, has always been a center of St. Patrick's Day celebrations. The Chicago River has been colored green there since 1962. A spectacle that attracts many tourists every year. In addition to Boston, New York and Chicago, the world's biggest celebrations take place today in Dublin, New Orleans, Manchester, Savannah and Munich. There has been a parade in the Bavarian capital since 1996, and many landmarks are also illuminated in green.
The color green is the central element of "St. Paddy's". Those who celebrate the day often wear green clothes and hats as well as a leprechaun figure or a shamrock, the national plant of the Irish, on their lapels. However, that was not always the case, because in the past people associated with the day of remembrance not green, but blue. A custom that has long been forgotten. Instead, these days even beer – arguably the most widely consumed drink on March 17th – is colored green to celebrate Irish culture. It is often combined with a meal of corned beef and cabbage.
Wherever you celebrate St. Patrick's Day, it is guaranteed to be (wet) happy – and loud. Irish culture has always been closely linked to music, which is why traditional artists like The Chieftains ("The Long Black Veil") have become an integral part of any Irish pub. Typical instruments on which the folk songs of the Irish are played are the violin, the bagpipe, the tin flute and a flat drum.
The corona restrictions
The lively get-together that defines "St. Paddy's" worldwide will, however, only be possible to a limited extent in 2021 due to the ongoing corona pandemic. As the "Irish Times" reported, the traditional parade in the Irish capital Dublin falls into the water like in 2020. Instead, there is an online festival where viewers can enjoy marching bands and parades from home.
In numerous other St. Patrick's Day strongholds around the world, the parades are also canceled or initially postponed. The Munich organizers completely canceled all events planned for the weekend of March 13th and 14th, and in many places in the USA there are celebrations on a smaller scale. The city of Chicago, for example, does not hold any of its traditional parades, as the Chicago Tribune reported in early February, but celebrates in other ways. In the South Side district, for example, there is a competition in which residents solemnly decorate their houses.
And the east coast metropolis of New York City, in which thousands of people solemnly march down the famous Fifth Avenue on March 17th every year, does not want to completely renounce its traditions. According to "Irish Central" the organizers are planning an "extremely small but symbolic parade" in Manhattan. Already in 2020 on St. Patrick's Day in the early morning hours only around 50 organizers and soldiers marched up Madison Avenue and stopped at St. Patrick's Cathedral. This year, among other things, selected workers in the health sector are to be honored with participation.