The History of St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th to commemorate Saint Patrick and the anniversary of his death. The Irish have observed the day as a holiday for thousands of years. However, the first parade took place in the United States. Irish soldiers in the British military marched in New York on March 17, 1762. Congress proclaimed March as Irish-American Heritage Month in 1995, and the president issues a proclamation each year.

Who Was St. Patrick?
Saint Patrick was born Maewyn Succat in Britain in the fourth century. It is widely believed that he died on March 17, around 460 AD.
At the age of sixteen he was kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. After six years as an enslaved prisoner, Patrick escaped. He would later write that the voice of God spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave. After returning to Britain he studied to become a priest. After being ordained, he was sent to Ireland to minister to Christians and convert the Irish. Patrick's mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years.
Although North America has the largest celebrations, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by people of all backgrounds all around the world.

St. Patrick's Day Symbolism
The Shamrock
Irish legend has it that St. Patrick used the shamrock leaf to symbolize the Trinity. He used the shamrock's three leaflets united by a common stalk to help explain the concept of the Trinity.
The Blarney Stone
Old Irish folklore tells of an old woman that cast a spell on the stone to reward a king who had saved her from drowning. Kissing the stone while under the spell gave the king the ability to speak sweetly and convincingly. Kissing the stone is supposed to bring the kisser the gift of persuasive eloquence (blarney).
The word blarney has come to mean clever, flattering, or coaxing talk.
LeprechaunsA mischievous elf of Irish folklore, the leprechaun takes the appearance of a miniature old man. Leprechauns are solitary creatures and spend their time as shoemakers. It is told the leprechauns are the guardians of treasures hidden by the Danes when they marauded through Ireland. If caught, they can be forced to reveal the hiding place of their treasure.

St. Patrick's Day Fun Facts
---There are four places in the United States named Shamrock, the floral emblem of Ireland. Mount Gay-Shamrock, W.Va., and Shamrock, Texas, were the most populous, with 2,623 and 1,855 residents, respectively. Shamrock Lakes, Ind., had 159 residents and Shamrock, Okla., 124.
---There are nine places in the United States that share the name of Ireland's capital, Dublin. Since Census 2000, Dublin, Calif., has surpassed Dublin, Ohio, as the most populous of these places (41,840 compared with 36,995 as of July 1, 2006).
---Twenty-two gallons of beer are consumed per capita by Americans annually. On St. Patrick's Day, you may be able to order green-dyed beer at one of the nation's 48,050drinking places, some of which may be Irish pubs.
---In the US there were 387 breweries in 2004. These figures do not count microbreweries or brewpubs that serve customers on the premises. The nation's breweries are the source for the domestic beer that is often an integral part of St. Paddy's Day celebrations. While California had the highest number of breweries (55), Colorado had the largest number of brewery employees, with more than 5,000.
---If you're still not into the spirit of St. Paddy's Day after stopping by one of the places named "Shamrock" or "Dublin," then you might consider paying a visit to Emerald Isle, N.C., with 3,716 residents.
---There were 42.1 billion pounds of U.S. beef and 2.6 billion pounds of cabbage produced in 2006. Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional St. Patrick's Day dish. The corned beef that celebrants dine on may very well have originated in Texas, which produced 6.8 billion pounds worth of beef, while the cabbage most likely came from California, which produced 607 million pounds worth, or New York (462 million pounds).

Data courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau
Published: 2/25/09, 6:36 PM EDT