Before choosing a costume for St. Patrick’s Day
Saint Patrick’s Day was first celebrated in the United States in Boston in 1737. Saint Patrick (birth name Maewyn), patron saint of Ireland, was born in Wales in 385 AD. C. Maewyn grew up in a small Irish town and was raised by her pagan family. At the age of 16, her village was raided and raided and he was captured and sold into slavery. During his captivity, he learned about Christianity and came to love the Christian God. Six years later, he escaped to a monastery where he stayed for 12 years. During this period he began his total immersion in Christianity. He changed his name to Patrick and embarked on a mission to convert other Irish pagans to Christianity. He was very successful and soon after was appointed Bishop of Ireland. For the remaining 30 years of his life he traveled throughout Ireland establishing monasteries, churches and schools. He died on March 17, 461 AD. C. That day is commemorated as Saint Patrick’s Day.
The first Saint Patrick’s Day parade took place in the United States on March 17, 1762 when a group of Irish soldiers marched through New York City. In 1848, the Irish Aid Societies in New York combined their parades into one. Today, the St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York is the largest civil parade in the United States and the oldest in the world!
Popular St. Patrick’s Day traditions include eating a traditional Irish meal of Irish bacon or corned beef and cabbage, wearing green, listening to Irish folk music and drinking copious amounts of Irish beer, and celebrating with revelers dressed as fairies and leprechauns. Every year the Chicago River turns green! This tradition began in 1962 when Chicago pollution control workers dumped 100 pounds of green vegetable dye into the river as a way to celebrate the holiday. The most recognizable symbol of Saint Patrick’s Day is the shamrock. According to legend, Saint Patrick used the three-leaf clover to explain the Christian holy trinity to his followers.
From my earliest childhood years, St. Patrick’s Day was one of my favorite holidays. For the record, my mother is Puerto Rican and my father is black! I’m clearly not Irish, so my love of St. Patrick’s Day traditions and festivities seemed a bit odd. Growing up, I loved wearing green clothes, eating green cookies, and drinking green-tinted lemonade. Later, in my late teens and early adulthood, I attended St. Patrick’s Day parties dressed in a t-shirt that said “Kiss Me I’m Irish” (with much success) and drank a lot of green beer and Irish whiskey! ! It’s been 26 years since I last attended a St. Patrick’s Day party or drank green beer, and until recently I had no idea about the history of the holiday. This year I plan to celebrate by wearing a festive St. Patrick’s Day costume.