St Patrick's Day 2025: St Patrick's Day is an annual Irish holiday, celebrated on March 17 every year. The colourful festival is observed to honour the memory of Saint Patrick -- the patron saint of Ireland and one of Christianity's most widely-known figures. Countries with a strong Irish presence hold parades, festivals, and various events to commemorate the day and celebrate Irish culture.
Originally celebrated as a religious feast to mark St Patrick's work, the day now highlights Irish history and culture. It is marked as a national holiday in Ireland and Northern Ireland but people across the world are involved in the celebrations, despite having no connection to either of the countries.
Who was Saint Patrick?
Little is known about Saint Patrick but he is believed to be a Roman-British Christian missionary and Bishop who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century. As per a BBC report, he was sold into slavery in Ireland as a child. Once he was free, he became a priest and returned to the country as a missionary.
Legend has it that St Patrick died on March 17. To commemorate his memory, people in Ireland started observing a feast day on March 17 around the ninth or 10th century.
Celebrations on St Patrick's Day
Green is the dominant colour of St Patrick's Day and people wear green clothes, decorate their houses in green and prepare food with green leafy vegetables like cabbage. Traditionally people pin clover-shaped leaves and violet flowers of the Irish shamrock plant on the lapel. Meat, cabbage dishes and beer dominate the food tables while some prepare the classic Irish Stew, soda bread and apple pie.
In Ireland and Northern Ireland, thousands gather in towns and cities to revel in the festivities. Parades and cultural events are held. The annual parade in Dublin draws more than one million people pepole.
Also Read | Chilling Prediction Made By 'New Nostradamus' With India Link Comes True
In America, the St Patrick's Day celebrations started during the early colonial period. The first recorded celebration in the 1600s and parades in the 19th century mark the significance of St Patrick's Day or St. Paddy's Day in the United States.
In New York City, the St Patrick's Day Parade, which was started in 1762 - typically attracts two million people. While not a legal holiday, the day is widely recognised and celebrated all over the US. Meanwhile, in Great Britain, the day is celebrated with the third-largest parade in the world, after Dublin and New York.
