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St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday which celebrates Saint Patrick. Saint Patrick was one of the patron saints of Ireland credited with spreading the Catholic religion throughout the country. St. Patrick’s Day takes place on the 17th day of March each year, which is the day Saint Patrick died.

St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland with many businesses closing in observance. In other parts of the world, especially the U.S. and Canada, it is widely celebrated but is not an official government holiday.

Catholics around the world will begin their St. Patrick’s Day by attending a special mass service.

Here in the United States, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by everyone. The day has become more of a secular holiday than a religious one.

St. Patrick’s Day in the U.S. has taken on more of a meaning of celebrating the beginning of spring. This goes along with the tradition of wearing green on the day, because green is both the color of Ireland as well as the color which signifies life and growth. It is said that you will be lucky for the coming spring if you wear green on the holiday.

Amazingly, St. Patrick’s Day began being celebrated here in the U.S. with a parade in Queens, New York in 1737, well before the Revolutionary War.

Many people wear a shamrock on the holiday to signify good luck. However, the roots of this tradition reportedly come from St. Patrick using a shamrock to explain to the pagans the concept of the Holy Trinity. In the Catholic religion, the Holy Trinity is the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, which Christians believe all stem from the same God. If you are wearing a shamrock on St. Patrick’s Day, it means that you can claim good luck or blessings on that day and for the rest of the year.

One of the fun and very popular traditions which goes along with St. Patrick’s Day is the consumption of green ale. Many bars and pubs add green food coloring to their beer on the holiday to serve to their customers. In addition to the green ale, many people also indulge in Irish Cream and Irish Whisky on the day as well. For the kids, a nice green lemonade or 7-UP make great non-alcoholic alternatives.