A brief history of St. Patrick’s Day

It is, of course, St. Patrick’s Day.  Normally that would mean parties, celebrations and not to mention a rather large consumption of alcohol (namely, Guinness) would be the order of the day.  However, we are currently in the midst of completely unprecedented times with COVID-19 putting a stop to many an activity, event, party and celebration.  Ireland has suffered extreme consequences at the hands of the virus, with mass gatherings being banned just before one of their biggest days of the year, putting a stop to an unfathomable amount of planned events throughout the country.  The usual scenes of joy and happiness,  people donning novelty-sized Guinness hats, shamrocks et al will be rather lacking this year.

With this unfortunate series of events, to give some brief respite, we delved into the history of St. Patrick’s Day.

In the early 17th Century, Saint Patrick’s Day was made an official Christian feast day, and commemorates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.  Traditionally, the restrictions that were placed on drinking alcohol due to Lent were lifted on this celebration day, and to this day, there is a large emphasis on mass consumption of alcoholic drinks.

Although, traditionally, blue was the colour associated with St. Patrick, green is now commonly associated with the day.  Shamrocks can be seen in abundance in many forms, either painted on cheeks, badges sewn into clothing, and even shamrocks fashioned into the top of your pint of Guinness!

Originally observed by numerous religious societies, the day celebrates Irish culture and is a rather international affair.  Of course, the streets of Ireland are (normally) filled with party-goers, parades, festivities and more (St. Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador and Montserrat).  That being said, the holiday is widely celebrated throughout the world and in countries such as the United States of America, it could be said that it is more widely celebrated than in Ireland itself.

This year has taken an exceedingly unexpected turn with the virus rampaging its way through communities throughout the world and has sadly turned what is normally a wonderful day of celebration into something very different and will no doubt have a huge effect on many businesses, communities and people.

Let’s all keep our fingers crossed for next year and, we’re sure, with the right attitude and spirit, St. Patrick’s Day 2021 will be the biggest one to date.

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