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Five things to know about St Patrick’s Day


Every year on March 17, the Irish and the Irish-at-heart across the globe observe St Patrick’s Day.

What began as a religious feast day for the patron saint of Ireland has become an international festival of celebrating Irish culture with parades, dancing, special foods and a whole lot of green.

Republic of Ireland envoy Dr Vincent O’Neill spoke to Nairobi News and explained the roots of St Patrick’s Day and why his embassy is branding the famous Ahmed elephant green at the Kenya National Museums.

“The reason we are going green and branding Ahmed to green is to celebrate with Kenyans and bring attention to poaching and also show our support to President Uhuru Kenyatta as the country prepares to burn more than 120 tonnes of Ivory in April,” he said.

He also added that his country is celebrating 100 years since independence and celebrating 100 years since the first Irish missionaries set foot in Kenya.

St. Patrick’s Day has become an international celebration of Irish culture thanks to a large Irish diaspora keen on maintaining ties to their homeland.

Here are a few things to know about the revered saint who is credited with converting Irish pagans to Christianity.

Who was St. Patrick?

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day is the Irish national holiday. It became a national holiday in 1903, but the Irish diaspora around the globe helped make it a worldwide celebration of all things Irish.

March 17 marks the day St. Patrick died. Historians disagree on the year of his death, which occurred sometime in the 5th century.

Why is he so famous?

St. Patrick was not born in Ireland. Historians believe he was born in Roman Britain and likely grew up on the west coast of Scotland or Wales. At the age of 16, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates who sold him as a slave. He herded sheep in County Antrim, but managed to escape to England at age 22.

After spending more than a decade in a monastery, he returned to Ireland and devoted his life to converting Irish pagans to Christianity.

St. Paddy’s Day parades

The world’s first recorded St. Patrick’s parade is said to have taken place in Boston on March 18, 1737. New York began holding parades in the 1760s and Montreal’s first parade took place 193 years ago and organisers believe it is the longest, continuous St. Patrick’s parade in North America.

The shamrock

Historians believe that St. Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant found in Ireland, to explain the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) to Irish pagans. The shamrock has taken on a life of its own and is one of the most important symbols of Ireland.

Every year, an Irish leader presents a crystal bowl full of shamrocks to the US President as a sign of the close ties between the countries.

Drinking

For many Irish people, St. Patrick’s Day wouldn’t be complete without sharing a pint with friends. Sales of Guinness, the black stout brewed in Dublin, soar on St. Patrick’s Day.

According to a company figure published in British newspaper The Guardian last year, about 7.5 million pints of the black stuff are drunk around the world every day. But on St. Patrick’s Day, the number jumps to about 13 million pints.