St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick’s Day, celebrated on March 17, brings together friends and family. This joy-filled day provides an excuse to create new memories each year, while incorporating lots of green, but people often forget the true meaning of the holiday. Each year, we celebrate this day to remember how St. Patrick brought the Christian faith to the country of Ireland.

St. Patrick was born in the 4th century in Britain and he spent most of his life living in poverty. At the age of 16, he moved to Ireland to spread Christianity to those around him. By using the shamrock, he taught the people of Ireland about the Holy Trinity. Because of this, each leaf of the shamrock represents one person of the Trinity.

Over the years, more traditions and symbols have been correlated with the holiday such as the leprechaun and a pot of gold. Other ways to have fun during the holiday include attending parades and eating Irish cuisine. Sophomore Natalia Grzegorzewska says her favorite way to celebrate the holiday is by eating a traditional dish of corn beef and cabbage. Natalia dreams of one day visiting the country of Ireland during the holiday and attending the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin.

While this holiday is celebrated in over 200 countries, America has one of the largest celebrations. With over 100 St. Patrick’s day parades in the US, the biggest being in Boston and New York, people gather together, dressed in green, to remember St. Patrick. The Chicago River has also been annually dyed green each year since 1962 to spread Irish spirit.

Celebrations are taking place among Charlotte Catholic students as well. Junior Audrey Smith expresses that she is very excited for St. Patrick’s Day this year because she gets to hang out with her friends. Sophomore Taylor Petillo says that she especially can not wait for March 17 because she will be in Charleston, South Carolina. While already glad to be at the beach, Taylor is more excited to be reuniting with some of her old camp friends and to be together for the holiday. Taylor describes St. Patrick’s day as her favorite holiday because “my favorite color is green and my family is part Irish.”

This weekend, senior Paige Kummer is visiting her friends at the University of Kentucky. While there, they are going to the Lexington St. Patrick’s Day parade. Each year the parade takes place on Main Street in Lexington Kentucky with Irish bands and local dancers celebrating in the streets.

St. Patrick’s Day is a reminder of Irish culture as it brings people together. On this day, we not only honor the patron saint of Ireland but we also celebrate our friendships. While there are plenty of celebrations and parades which make it an exciting day, it is important to remember the reason for the holiday.