St. Patrick
Detail of St Patrick with a shamrock in a stained glass window at the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows at Navy Pier in Chicago. flickr


The celebration of Saint Patrick's Day is on Tuesday, March 17 for this year. What are the major parts of its celebration? Let us find out in the following parts of the text what makes this day special.

Origins of the Celebration of Saint Patrick's Day

This holiday was initially started as a form of a feast day for Christians. It was primarily celebrated to commemorate the story of Saint Patrick. Also, it is a way of remembering and appreciating his efforts of spreading Christianity in the different parts of Ireland.

Currently, this day is a celebration of everything Irish. In modern times, Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated with lively parades, 5K runs or similar events, and other enjoyable activities. One famous feature of the celebration is that everyone is encouraged to wear green.

When is Saint Patrick's Day Celebrated?

The Official Saint Patrick's Day celebration is every March 17. However, its celebration is often not limited on a sole day. I may also be celebrated on a different date.

It is celebrated on March 17 because it was believed that it was the date of death of Saint Patrick. The saint died in the late 5th century.

St. Patrick's Day Celebration
Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay

During the years when Saint Patrick's Day falls on a part of the Holy Week or a Sunday, the Almanac does not move its celebration at considers it as a secular holiday. However, for churches, they move the celebration of Saint Patrick's Day to a different one. Other cities opt to change their date of celebration for Saint Patrick's Day.

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Saint Patrick: Is he Real or Fictional?

Saint Patrick is the apostle of Ireland. Also, he is the patron saint of the country. He is praised for his success at spreading Christianity in the different parts of Ireland. This had led to a day of celebration of the story of his name and life.

Saint Patrick is not fictional. He is a real person. However, different legends surfaced over the years. This had resulted in some fictional stories about his life. One probable fictional story about his life is his deed of driving snakes out of Ireland. This is supported by the claim that snakes were not native in the country.

Regardless of some fictional stories about his life, his significant deeds were enough to earn him a day of celebration for his life's work.

Finding God

Saint Patrick was born in Britain. Britain was part of the Roman Empire during the time of his birth. He was born as Maewyn Succat in the later part of the 4th century. He was born into a Christian family. However, Maewyn spent his childhood as an atheist.

His faith changed when he turned 16 and was kidnapped by Irish pirates. The pirates forced him to work as a shepherd. After six years of being a slave, he was able to escape. He walked roughly 200 miles in Irish land. Finally, he was able to convince a ship to bring him back to Britain. His escape and return to his home had led him to believe that it was God's help as to why he was able to return.