St. Patrick's Day 2025: why do we celebrate this festive day on March 17? History and origins
Every March 17, Irish people the world over gather to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The green is out and the beer is flowing (but always in moderation), but few know the history and origins of this festive day. So a little historical background is in order.
March 17 refers to the anniversary of Saint Patrick 's death in the year 461. Still considered Ireland's patron saint to this day, Saint Patrick was born in the 4th century in Great Britain. The son of a deacon, he was kidnapped at the age of 16. There, he became the slave of an Irish druid. After several years working as a shepherd in Gaelic Ireland, he managed to escape.
It was then that he decided to study theology in order to become a Catholic priest. He then returned to Ireland with a mission: to evangelize the entire country. To this day, the missionary is known as the founder of Irish Christianity. Legend has it that he tried to explain the notion of the Holy Trinity using a shamrock, the symbol of St. Patrick's Day.
But it was in the 17th century that the Catholic Church decided to recognize St. Patrick's Day as a religious holiday. Then, in 1631, Pope Urban VIII declared March 17 St. Patrick's Day. Finally, the religious festival was transformed into a popular celebration in 1903, when March 17 was officially declared a public holiday in Ireland. And it wasn't until 1931 that the very first St. Patrick's Day parade took place in Ireland.
St. Patrick's Day is certainly the most important holiday in the eyes of many Irish people. In fact, it's a national holiday in Ireland. But it's also celebrated in other parts of the world, such as France. Celebrated every March 17, it's a time to get together, party, drink Guinness (in moderation) and dress... in green, with a leprechaun costume, for example, and don your little Irishshamrock! But why do you have to wear green on St. Patrick's Day?
Originally, the color worn by the Irish on St. Patrick's Day was not green, but... blue. In fact, in 1783, an Anglo-Irish chivalric order called St. Patrick's Day chose blue as the color of its flag. In fact, the old Irish flags were blue.
But, over the years, St. Patrick' s Day has evolved, moving away from the religious aspect to focus on the cultural aspect and thus the Irish nation, even if the name St. Patrick's Day has remained.
So, how did we go from blue to green? We have to go back to the end of the 18th century to better understand this change. In 1798, Ireland was still occupied by the British, who were fighting against the Society of United Irishmen, whose flag was green. A color that earned those who wore it persecution from the British. But in 1921, once the British occupation was over, Ireland naturally decided to adopt green as the symbol of the nation.
Other legends also tell us that the color green refers to the nickname given to Ireland,"the Emerald Isle", because of its verdant landscapes.