St. Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in
Canada. The day is celebrated every year on
17th March or a Monday closest to 17th
March. This festival is celebrated to honor
St. Patrick, an Irish Saint who helped
convert the people of Ireland to
Christianity.
The first recorded celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day were in 1759 by a
group of Irish soldiers who fought on the
side of the British army. St. Patrick is
believed to have been born in a rich family.
However, in his teenage years, he was
captured and sent as a slave to Ireland.
During his years in captivation, he is
believed to have become religiously inclined
and started believing profusely in God.
After certain years in captivation, he
managed to flee from his captivators and
rejoin his family. In the latter part of his
life, he is believed to have come back to
Ireland as a missionary. In the 5th century,
he helped convert the people of Ireland to
Christianity and also helped “drive off
snakes” from Ireland. “Snakes” is believed
to be a reference to evil forces present in
the country. St. Patrick’s Day, also known
as the Feast Day, is celebrated to
commemorate the death anniversary of St.
Patrick.
The festival was brought to Canada by
Irish immigrants and continues to be
celebrated on a large scale in Newfoundland,
Labrador and Montreal. The day is celebrated
in Canada with huge fervor in Irish
dominated regions. The street parade in
Montreal on this day is one of the longest
and the most attended parades in all over
the world. Various parties are organized on
this day and people can be seen drinking,
eating and making merry. Some traditional
dishes are associated with this day such as
Colcannon which is a dish made from cabbage
and mashed potatoes. Irish stew is also a
traditional dish associated with this day.
Although the color blue was largely
associated with this day in the early days
of its celebration, color green has come to
be associated with St. Patrick’s Day over
the last many centuries. Green themed
parties are organized in Canada and Ireland
where the food, the drinks as well as the
decorations and clothing are green in color.
Shamrock, the traditional symbol of
Ireland, is largely associated with this
festival. Although St. Patrick’s Day is not
a public holiday in large parts of the
world, still, it is one of the most widely
celebrated saint days the world over. |
