St. Patrick's Day is a religious and cultural holiday celebrated every year on March 17. Named after the patron saint of Ireland, it celebrates the arrival of Christianity in the country as well as the Irish culture and heritage. While the festival has Irish origin, it is globally celebrated. So if you are an Irish at heart or like to know how to celebrate the day like an Irish, here are few ideas to help you.
Know the History:
Learning a little about the story behind the grand celebration would make it more meaningful and fun. So explore the history behind the festival. You can search the web to find the details. Sites like National Geographic and History channel have plenty of material to read. For a quick overview, here is brief about the festival.
St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland has been credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. He was born to a British family but was kidnapped by Irish raiders. Sold to slavery at an early age, he turned to God to endure his time. After six years as a slave, he escaped, returned home and became a priest.
Finishing his religious learning, he came to Ireland, became the second bishop and started spreading Christianity. St. Patrick's teaching and methods were unique and thus widely accepted by the indigenous people. He included Christian teachings with native culture. For example, St. Patrick used a shamrock to explain the Trinity and included the religious symbol of Sun to Christian cross, thus creating a new symbol of faith widely known now as Celtic cross.
Although, St. Patrick's Day has been observed as a religious festival in Ireland over thousands of years, it was only after 1970 that the day became a symbol of Irish heritage.
Find the Facts:
Every festival has some unbelievable facts associated with it. St. Patrick's Day is no exception to the truth. It is widely known for its Irish heritage but many people do not know that St. Patrick was not an Irish. In addition, the color of St. Patrick's Day was originally blue. It was because Ireland has plenty of greenery, the national color became green. Another surprising fact of Irish culture is that shamrock was not the symbol of the country. It was a harp.
Go Green:
St. Patrick's Day celebration is incomplete without including green to your looks. Mostly green outfits are used to show the spirit of the festival. You can choose a green dress or just a t-shirt with Irish symbols to show the spirit of the day.
A leprechaun costume is wonderful if you are particularly feeling festive. It is easy to get a green hat with white stockings and fake red beard.
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If all green is not your choice, try accessorizing with green. Anything like shamrock buttons, pins or green jewelry are wonderful ways to express the fun side of the festival. Emerald jewelry like Celtic knot, Claddagh ring or a four-leaf clover pendant is a nice choice for the celebration.
Other Ways to Celebrate:
Join the parade, eat Irish food and listen to some Irish songs to indulge into the spirit of the Irish festival. Learning some Irish phrases and words will be wonderful. You will feel more rooted in that way.
