Most people don’t know why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day or what it stands for. Instead they dress in green, drink green beer, and sing Irish songs at the bar. But some may be surprised to know that St. Patrick’s Day started out as a religious holiday.
Although we don’t know much about the man, Saint Patrick, we do know that he died on March 17, some time around 460AD. The Irish chose to celebrate this day as a religious holiday. Because the day falls in the middle of the Christian season of Lent, the Irish would attend church in the morning and would dance, drink, and feast in the afternoon (meat was not allowed during lent).
The image of St. Patrick’s Day became a drinking scene when Irish immigrants celebrated their heritage in the streets of American cities. However when newspapers reported on the events they portrayed the immigrants as drunk and violent monkeys.
As time pasted many American cities began to celebrate with parties, parades, and even dyeing the rivers that flow through town. It wasn’t until 1995 that Ireland began to campaign on the party idea of St. Patrick’s Day to improve tourism and show off its land to the rest of the world.
Whether you celebrate March 17th as a religious holiday, remembrance of the Irish culture, or an occasion for green beer, don’t forget to send your loved ones a St. Patrick’s Day balloon bouquet from BalloonsByMail.com to celebrate the holiday!
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