St. Patrick's Day Traditions

Despite the fact that St. Patrick's Day is not an official holiday in the United States, it is celebrated widely. In Ireland it is viewed as a religious holiday, but in America it is a secular celebration of Irish Americans. Traditionally March 17 is a daylong celebration of all things Irish. All nationalities come together for this day and are "Irish."

There are many St. Patrick's Day traditions including parades, wearing green, drinking (green beer is a traditional beverage) and priding on the little bit of Irish that is in everyone. New York City, which has the largest Irish American population in the country, has the largest parade. Other major cities that host parades are Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and Kansas City. In addition to the annual parade in Chicago, the Chicago River is turned bright green for the day. Wearing green is a necessity on St. Patrick's Day or one runs the chance of being pinched by schoolmates, co-workers and family members. Many Irish Americans also try to get people to kiss them "because they're Irish." The shamrock is the symbol of St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick used the clover to explain the Christian concept of the Trinity (the three leaves representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with the stem representing the Godhead), which is why the shamrock is associated with the holiday.

Nowadays St. Patrick's Day is so deeply embedded in our culture that it has become tradition to send cards. Roughly 16 million St. Patrick's Day cards are bought each year making it the ninth largest card-sending occasion in the United States.

Click here for some St. Patrick's Day crafts, recipes and songs