St. Patrick’s Day was first established in 1631 as a modest religious holiday, and honoring Ireland’s patron saint, St.Patrick. He was a 5th-century missionary to Ireland and later served as bishop there. He is credited with bringing Christianity to parts of Ireland. Although he was known as the patron saint of Ireland, Patrick was never actually canonized by the Catholic Church. After 40 years of living in poverty, teaching, traveling and working tirelessly, Patrick died on March 17, 461. This is why we celebrate on March 17th. 

Since then the holiday has evolved into a celebration of Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, and drinking. We also see a lot of the color green and leprechauns associated with the holiday. Green is the color of Patrick’s Day because of Ireland’s nickname, The Emerald Isle. The green stripe in the Irish flag also played a role. It is believed that Leprechauns being apart of the holiday comes from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. 

It is also traditional to have corn-beef and cabbage for dinner on St.Patrick’s Day. This is because those foods were less expensive for immigrants who came to America. They substituted expensive meats like beef for pork and cabbage for potatoes. St. Patrick’s Day became a popular celebration when Irish immigrants came to the United States and shared the tradition. It is now mainly a day for people to honor Irish heritage and its rich culture and traditions.

*Old Orcutt St.Patricks Day 2021*