St. Patrick’s Day: how it is celebrated in the United States

This Sunday 17 March is celebrated on St. Patrick’s Day or St. Patrick’s Day. While for many Americans it may seem like just an excuse to enjoy a beer with friends, it is actually a national holiday in Ireland and a source of great pride for many residents and citizens of the United States.

To better understand the significance of this celebration, Elizabeth Stack, executive director of the Irish American Heritage Museum in Albany, and Brian Witt, coordinator of cultural exhibits at the Milwaukee Irish Fest, shared their views on this celebration in an interview conducted by American Media USA TODAY.

Here’s everything you need to know about St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day: what is the meaning of this celebration?

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, brought to the Emerald Isle after being kidnapped and enslaved. Although he eventually escaped, he decided to return and spread Christianity across the island.

According to Witt, this day offers Irish and Irish-Americans the opportunity to “celebrate their heritage”.” Stack agrees, noting that the saves in places like the United States and England They convey the message that “The Irish contributed to societywho were welcomed and accepted as citizens”.

Why do we celebrate with a beer toast?

In the interview, Stack noted that St. Patrick’s Day was once a solemn religious holiday, and the beer-drinking stereotype wasn’t adopted until the United States began celebrating the day.

Although St. Patrick supposedly originated in Great Britain, it remains an important holiday and family occasion in Ireland. March 17 is the day St. Patrick is believed to have died.

St. Patrick’s Day: What is the original color associated with St. Patrick?

In different religious traditions, Saint Patrick is associated with the color blue. So why do people wear green?

“Irish Americans They wore green as a reminder that they were nationalists first and foremost.” explains Witt. “The colors of the Irish flag are green, white and orange, green symbolizes Irish nationalismorange symbolizes Northern Orangemen and white symbolizes peace,” he adds.

For his part, Stack stressed that the mythical belief is that Using green is to “make yourself invisible to goblins”has its origin in the United States.

St. Patrick’s Day: how is it celebrated in the United States?

In the United States, St. Patrick’s Day has become one of the most anticipated cultural events of the year. One of the most established customs on this day is parades which are produced throughout the country, showing history, tradition and culture of the Irish community.

In Chicagosince 1962, its river has been tinged with green, parties are held in Irish bars, with typical family dinners, but Something that is not missing in any celebration of this day is beer.. The streets are filled with music, colors, dances, green decorations and musical groups playing melodies native to Ireland.

He St. Patrick’s Day Parade in ManhattanDating back to 1762 (14 years before the American Declaration of Independence), it is one of the largest Irish heritage festivals in the world.

This year, for the first time, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade will allow LGBTQ delegations to participate. The move marks the end of a years-long dispute between LGBTQ groups and the city’s parade organizers over which groups can participate in public celebrations of the patron saint of both Ireland and New York’s Catholic community.

The numbers of the Irish community in the United States

According to a press release from the US Census Bureau, many Americans have reason to celebrate this St. Patrick’s Day.

• 30.7 million of residents of the United States They claimed to have Irish ancestry in 2022.
• The county of Cook, ILwhich includes Chicago, is the county in the country with the largest population Irish-American, based on 2022 data. Population is 418,997.
• 112,251 residents Americans they were born in Ireland.