With today being St. Patrick’s day, it’s the perfect time to review the history of the holiday to help us realize why we’re celebrating it. When one thinks of this day, one thinks of green costumes, leprechauns, and pots of gold. But there’s much history behind all the fun traditions. We’ve included below a quick summary of its interesting past as well as activities to feel lucky on this day.

The origins of Saint Patrick’s day date back to the patron saint of Ireland, a 5th-century missionary, who had in his time alive created monasteries, churches, and schools for the people. Funny enough, he was not originally from Ireland; He was born in Roman Britain and grew up there until the age of sixteen when he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland to work as a slave. Although he was able to return home, he eventually went back to Ireland with the goal of spreading Christianity to the Irish. At first, March 17 was a holiday in Ireland where people would honor St. Patrick with big feasts and religious services. After immigrants introduced St. Patrick’s to the United States, it became a secular holiday to celebrate the country of Ireland and its unique culture. Below, we’ve listed some fun ideas for you to celebrate the holiday.

 1. Go to a party or parade

Everyone likes parties, so why not celebrate the famous holiday with friends and family? You can play games, dance to music, and essentially just have a good time. Parades are also a great way to celebrate and learn about Irish culture.

2. Dress up (wear green)

Legend says wearing the color green protects and camouflages you from the presence of leprechauns who enjoy pinching all who they see near. If you want to avoid the tight finger grasp of a leprechaun, don’t forget to slay in green. 

3. Make green sweets/food

One small way to celebrate the day is to make any type of food with green food dye. You could dye any of your favorite foods! Especially for the kids, this is a fun way to make good memories of a cool holiday.

The Irish also believe that a leprechaun comes and gives children gold from the pot at the end of the rainbow, so don’t be surprised if you receive gold today! Also, make sure to wear green so the leprechauns don’t pinch you:)

Overall, St. Patrick’s Day is a fun-filled holiday because of the beautiful Irish history involved and the wide variety of celebrations that take place. The involvement of people makes the holiday a fun-filled experience for all ages. We hope that you will do something today to celebrate this amazing holiday!