As the middle of March approaches, one of my favorite holidays of the year comes along with it. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated throughout the country with parades, wearing of green and binge drinking, just to name a few of the festivities. However, a majority of the people who celebrate St. Patrick’s day aren’t actually Irish. It is true, the more to celebrate, the merrier the holiday. However, for those of you out there who may not know, here is your guide to what St. Patrick’s Day is really all about (don’t worry — beer is still a part of the celebration).

Origins

So, who exactly was St. Patrick? The legend says that he was actually from Roman Britain, but was brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. After escaping slavery, he later returned to Ireland bringing the religion of Christianity with him. He is now recognized as the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day is oddly enough celebrated on St. Patrick’s death, which occurred on (obviously) March 17, 461. The holiday and several other legends regarding St. Patrick have been observed for over 1,000 years. When it comes to the traditions of St. Patty’s Day parades, however, the origins come completely from the U.S when Irish soldiers serving in the British military began the first parade in NYC in 1762.

Why Do We Drink?

Technically, the holiday is viewed as a religious holiday and is a celebration of the Christian faith being brought to Ireland. On March 17th, church is attended in the morning and the afternoon is reserved for celebrations. These celebrations include, yes, drinking! In recognitions of the celebrations of St. Patrick, the restrictions on alcohol and meat are ignored for the day. Basically, it’s just another reason to get a swig of the best beer around!

What’s With The Green?

When St. Patrick became a Catholic Missionary for Ireland, he began teaching the population about the Holy Trinity; also known as the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. What better way to do this than by using a three-leaved plant -- a clover (which is green)! Also known as a shamrock, the clover became popular in St. Patrick’s teachings. After his death when the celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day began, the Irish began wearing shamrock’s on their clothing. This soon turned into the tradition of wearing green clothing on the holiday.

Irish Style Celebrations

In my extremely Irish family, the classic way to celebrate is to blast our favorite Irish tunes throughout the house and make a classic dish of corned beef (or Irish bacon) and cabbage. We might attend a parade every once and a while too. While it doesn’t sound as fun as getting hammered at a local Irish pub, it’s probably my favorite way to celebrate the tradition.

This St. Patty’s Day, whether you’re Irish or not, I hope you found your Celtic roots with this guide to what St. Patrick’s Day really is and why it happens every year! Don’t forget to wear your green and stay lucky!