Every year on March 17th, the streets are filled with people dressed in green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland. Why is this day celebrated and where should you go? Here you will find out everything you need to know.
Why St. Patrick’s Day is Celebrated
It is the Memorial Day of Saint Patrick, the first Christian missionary who most likely lived in the 5th century.
Legend states that he was not originally from Ireland, but Great Britain. He was captured and brought to Ireland in order to tend sheeps. Even though he escaped, he always had a feeling to return to Ireland, and convert the Irish to Christianity. In order to do so, he used a three-leaved shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity: God the father, son and Holy Spirit.
How to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
In most Irish cities you will see big public parades where volunteer organisations, youth groups, charities, marching bands etc. participate. There will also be a variety of different activities happening throughout the day, such as face painting, traditional Irish live music, Gaelic football matches, horse races and much more, depending on where you are.
Some common things you will see on St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland are people dressing up in green, ordering green coloured beers in pubs, lighting up buildings in green, even colouring rivers in green and much more.
Where to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland
The most popular cities to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland are Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick. However, you might consider visiting a more rural area if you want to celebrate in traditional style. This could be some islands or the region Gaeltacht (Irish speaking region), which is mainly in west Ireland.
Did you guys ever celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland or anywhere else? If yes, where did you celebrate?
