When we think of the color green and the date of March 17ht we think of Saint Patrick’s Day. However, many people are not aware of the history of Saint Patrick’s Day. It is the feast that celebrates Saint Patrick who was born in 386 and died in 493 and who was the patron saint of Ireland. It is a national holiday in the Republic of Ireland as well as a bank holiday in Northern Ireland. Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated worldwide by Irish people and by many people who are not Irish. Saint Patrick Day celebrations usually center around all things green and Irish; both Christians and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of the holiday by wearing green, eating Irish food such as corned beef and cabbage and drinking Irish drinks such as Guinness beer and Bailey’s Irish Crème. There are also many parades on Saint Patrick’s Day. The St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin, Ireland is part of a five day festival, with over 500,000 people attending the 2006 parade.

The first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade was held in New York City on March 17th 1756 when Irish soldiers marched through the city. Parades also take place in other Irish towns and villages. There are other large Saint Patrick Day parades in London, Montreal, Boston, Chicago, Kansas City, and Savannah. As well as being a celebration of Irish culture, Saint Patrick’s Day is a Christian festival celebrated in the Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland. Saint Patrick’s Day also falls in the season of Lent. There are also symbols of Ireland that are used for Saint Patrick’s Day such as the Irish flag which has the colors of white, orange, and of course green. There is also a shamrock which is a three leafed clover that many people wear in their lapels of their green colored clothing on Saint Patrick’s Day. Most people on Saint Patrick’s Day eat Irish food and drink Irish beverages. For my Saint Patrick’s Day celebration I usually make corned beef and cabbage and drink some green tea and have some mint chocolate chip ice cream. I also like to have Bailey’s Irish Crème in my coffee on Saint Patrick’s Day. I also wear an Irish ring that is called a Claddagh ring that has a heart for love, a crown for loyalty, and two hands for friendship. This Irish ring comes in gold a sterling silver. This Irish ring can also be used as a wedding ring.

In Ireland, the first Saint Patrick’s Day festival was held on March 17th, 1996. In 1997, it became a three day event and by the year 2000 it was a four day event and by 2005, the festival was five days long. Since 1996, there has been a greater emphasis on celebrating and projecting a fluid and inclusive notion of “Irishness” rather than an identity that is based around a traditional religious and ethnic alliance. The week around Saint Patrick’s Day usually involves Irish speakers using more Irish during Irish week. And, although Saint Patrick’s Day as green as its color for the day, many people don’t know that blue was once the color that was used on Saint Patrick’s Day. Many Irish people still wear a bunch of shamrocks on their lapels or caps on Saint Patrick's Day; or they wear the colors of green, white, and orange, after the Irish flag Girls also wear green in their hair. There are also green bagels and green beer in honor of Saint Patrick's Day because as was stated before everybody is a wee bit Irish on Saint Patrick's Day. In fact, the Chicago River is dyed green for Saint Patrick's Day.