Celebrate St. Patricks Day
St Patricks Day, Paddy’s Day, Feast of Saint Patrick or even Lá Fheile Pádraig as it can sometimes be known is a cultural and religious celebration more known for the Guinness and the green accessories these days than anything else. It wasn’t always that way, Saint Patrick’s Day is celebration in memory of the death of Saint Patrick, a Christian missionary and bishop who is the foremost patron saint of Ireland. He is believed to have converted large numbers of the pagan Irish to Christianity.
What is probably a key reason for the celebration to have morphed into what is has, a celebration of drinking yourself into a mess, is that the Christian Lenten (lent) restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day. As a result of this drinking alcohol, particularly drink associated with Ireland such as stout, whiskey or cider has become a massive part of the celebrations.
It’s not just about the best online casino or the alcohol though, St. Patricks Day is celebrated in many different ways all around the world:
Chicago, USA
Chicago has long been known as a home to a large Irish-American community, with the South Side Irish holding a massive St. Patricks Day parade every year which attracts up to 15,000 participants and well in excess of 200,000 spectators. The city also hold a massive event which includes up to half a million spectators turning out to see the dying of the huge Chicago River emerald green.
Dublin, Ireland
Being that Saint Patrick was from Ireland and is their foremost patron, you would expect them to get in the mood for the festival, and you wouldn’t be wrong. In Dublin there is so much to see and do during the festivities such as festivals, parades and a visit to the Guinness Storehouse or the Old Jameson Distillery probably quite high up the list. Not to be missed though is the ‘Greening of the City’. This is where they illuminate lots of historical buildings such as the Trinity College and St. Patricks cathedral in bright green lights.
Montserrat, Caribbean
This one may surprise you but St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated as a national holiday in Montserrat due in part to the island once being claimed by Irish settlers in 1642. By 1768 the only Irish people on the island were slaves and due to a failed rebellion on the 17th March 1768 the islanders began celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. The week long celebrations on the ‘Emerald Isle’ are based around a re-constructed slave village and include runs, hikes, foot stalls and many other festivities.
England, United Kingdom
Being so close to Ireland and having a large amount of Irish inhabitants it’s a sure bet that England would be involved in the festivities around St. Patrick’s Day. The day is generally celebrated by dressing up in green, covered in as many hats and beards as you can imagine and drinking the local pub dry of Guinness and Jameson’s whiskey. In addition to this, the London Eye gets a full make-over on St. Patrick’s Day illuminated in green
