ST. PATRICK’S DAY – San Patrizio

Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig) is a cultural and religious celebration occurring annually on the 17th of March, the death date of the most commonly recognised patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick (c. AD 385-461). Historically, it is known that Irish society was pagan for thousands of years but was believed to have changed when groups of Christian missionaries, including St. Patrick himself, arrived… Saint Patrick’s Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early seventeenth-century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church. This day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, as well as celebrating the general heritage and culture of the Irish Population even though St. Patrick’s Day was considered a relatively minor celebration in Ireland until the 1970s. Today celebrations include public parades and festivals – céilithe.
As for the official colour, several antique artworks depict St. Patrick wearing blue vestments and blue was commonly used on coats-of-arms and flags representing Ireland.
The colour green is thought to have appeared on the scene in modern times to represent the so-called “Emerald Isle”. Saint Patrick’s Day is today widely celebrated by the Irish and Irish-at-heart around the world; especially in Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand and is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.