Saint Patrick's Day, also known as the Feast of Saint Patrick is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, a date that marks the death of Saint Patrick (c. 385 - c. 461), the primary patron saint of Ireland. St Patrick, who was a Romano-British missionary, is known for bringing Christianity to the country, something that is also commemorated on this day.St Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, especially amongst the Irish diaspora.
Saint Patrick's Day is the most celebrated national festival in the world. Modern celebrations have been greatly influenced by those of the Irish immigrants, especially the ones developed in North America. Irish and non-Irish alike commonly participate in the celebrations by dressing as the mythological Leprechauns, wearing green clothing, hats, shamrocks (the Irish national plant) and holding harps. Corned beef, soda bread and cabbage are associated with the holiday, and even beer is dyed green to celebrate the day. The festivities are usually accompanied by traditional Irish folk music.
Did you know?
- More Irish people are living abroad than there are in Ireland. There are 80 million Irish people outside of Ireland and only around 6 million in Ireland
- Ireland is a snake-free island. Due to its isolation from the European mainland, Ireland lacks several species that are common elsewhere in Europe, such as moles, weasels, polecats or roe deer. According to popular legend, it was St Patrick who rid Ireland of snakes.
- The Irish consume in average 131.1 litres of beer per year. This is the second highest per-capita consumption after the Czech Republic.
- St Patrick was paradoxically born in Wales, not in Ireland.
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