Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th. That date is the feast day of Saint Patrick , the patron saint of Ireland . Saint Patrick was a missionary to Ireland in the A.D. 400’s. He converted the Irish to Christianity . St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland. It also is celebrated outside of Ireland in cities with a large number of people of Irish descent.
In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is primarily a religious holiday. People honor Saint Patrick by attending special religious services. They also enjoy family and community gatherings. They celebrate by wearing shamrocks . According to legend , Saint Patrick used a shamrock to explain the idea of the Trinity to the Irish (see Shamrock ).
In the United States , St. Patrick’s Day is primarily a secular (nonreligious) holiday. Many people wear green clothing. They also hold parties and march in parades . The first St. Patrick’s Day celebration in what is now the United States was held in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737. Today, more than 100 U.S. cities hold parades. The St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City, New York, is the largest.
