On March 17th every year, people throughout the world honor one of the most widely celebrated saints, Saint Patrick. Known as the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick’s Day represents not only Christian values, but also a secular celebration of Irish culture. St. Patrick’s Day is usually accompanied by shamrocks, Irish flags, Irish food and drink, and a hefty dose of the color green. Though St. Patrick’s Day is an official holiday in only a few places, it is widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora – and others – worldwide.
Ireland
Though St. Patrick’s Day has been a celebrated feast day since the ninth century, it became an official public holiday in 1903. The holiday remains largely religious, and is often associated with religious observance, festivals, and parades.
Argentina
Boasting the fifth largest Irish community in the world outside Ireland, Argentina celebrates Saint Patrick’s Day with street parties all night long. With over 50,000 people taking part in the celebrations, Argentineans dance and drink all night in their green clothes.
Canada
Since 1824, Montreal holds one of the longest-running Saint Patrick’s Day parades in North America. Though Saint Patrick’s Day is a holiday in only the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, many other groups have lobbied to make it an official national holiday in Canada.
Japan
Holding Asia’s largest Saint Patrick’s Day parade, the Tokyo parade, organized by the Irish Network Japan, has been going on since 1992. Today, parades are held in many locations across Japan, and go on throughout the entire month of March.
The United States
Though Saint Patrick’s Day is not an official holiday in the US, it has been celebrated since the late eighteenth century. The day is largely a celebration of Irish and Irish-American culture, and features many parades, religious events, feasts, and displays of the color green. In Boston, Saint Patrick’s Day remains a huge day of celebration due to the large Irish population. With over 500,000 visitors each year, the Boston parade is not only the oldest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the US, but also one of the largest. For more information about Saint Patrick’s Day events in Boston, look here.
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