Holidays and festivals in usually full of colour. Our own Holi being a great example. However, it is not often that a holiday is associated with a single colour.
That is where St. Patrick's Day is different! St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17 (believed to be the day that St. Patrick died), and is a popular holiday on which green is the theme colour. St. Patrick's Day originates in Ireland, but today the holiday is quite popular in many other Western countries as well.
The uniqueness of St. Patrick's Day lies in everything being green that day. In some places, they take this extremely seriously, to the extent that even rivers, canals, and fountains are dyed green with vegetable dye for a few hours. The Chicago river, for example, famously turns green ever year. Celebrations also include drinking specially coloured green beer, and wearing green clothes, with some people going all the way and dressing like a leprechaun--an Irish fairy in the form of an old man with a beard.
St. Patrick's Day is of course most popular in Ireland. Dublin's parade for St. Patrick's Day is the most famous, attracting a large number of people from all over the world. Similar parades are also held in various states of America. Traditionally in Ireland, bacon and cabbage is the meal for this holiday.
For children, St. Patrick's Day translates to wearing and seeing a lot of green and of course good food by means of celebrations. This is all in addition to the religious meaning it holds for the Irish and the rest of the Western world. Interestingly enough, St. Patrick's Day dance is very popular in most middle and high schools. Children are encouraged to wear green, the decorations for the dance are mainly green, and the punch --a sweet fruit drink--served is also green! Many schools also organize sports and various activities for St. Patrick's Day.
Many TV shows, especially sitcoms, feature St. Patrick's Day related episodes around March. Watching some of these would give you a sense of the kind of festivities St. Patrick's Day involves.
sameeksha@skillspark.com
