Saint Patrick’s Day is a cultural and religious celebration that takes place on March 17th, and it originated in Ireland. The holiday came from a man who lived around the year 386 AD called Patrick. March 17th was the day Patrick died and the Irish made it a holiday to celebrate him. Apparently, the real Saint Patrick was born in Britain. According to history.com he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and sold as a slave to a Celtic priest. He worked hard as a shepherd for six years until he escaped back to Britain. After that, he eventually returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. He then became the patron saint of Ireland.
Most people in America celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day by wearing green clothes and making leprechaun traps. The Oakmonitor’s Harrison Morand spends his holiday seeing family and eating Saint Patrick’s Day-themed candy. For dinner, he would have corned beef with cabbage and potatoes. Another Oakmonitor reporter who celebrates Saint Patrick’s Day is Cecelia Sears. To celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, her mom makes a green jello with fruit and candy in it and she ends the day with a nice roast for dinner.
Believe it or not, the way Americans celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day is completely different from how the Irish celebrate it. I talked with Oakmont’s Administrative Assistant Ms.McLoughlin and the differences are shocking. Apparently, people in Ireland get a day off from school and it was a family day. They go to church and go to a parade in the middle of the city. Everything was not green on Saint Patrick’s Day, all the green decorations were purely American. Now there are probably more green decorations and outfits in Ireland because Saint Patrick’s Day has become more commercialized. They do not eat corned beef and cabbage, they actually eat boiled bacon with potatoes and cabbage instead. Ms. McLoughlin hilariously states “We didn’t have any of this bread with birdseed on it.” The bread she was talking about was Irish soda bread with raisins. They also do not have any green beer on Saint Patrick’s Day either. Ms. McLoughlin also states, “There are no leprechauns in Ireland, there is no pot of gold.” So all those leprechaun traps you made in elementary school were not made in Ireland.
I hope everyone reading this has a good Saint Patrick’s Day and keeps up with some family traditions of their own.
