When is St. Patrick's Day 2024? What to know about celebrations, history
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St. Patrick's Day is arriving soon. But before you get ready to wear your favorite green outfit, participate in parades or enjoy a bar crawl, there are a few things to know about the annual event.
Here's what to know about Leprechauns, St. Patrick and the first day St. Patrick's Day was actually celebrated.
When is St. Patrick's Day?
St. Patrick's Day is March 17, 2024.
Who is St. Patrick?
According to History.com, St. Patrick, who lived during the fifth century, is the patron saint of Ireland and its national apostle.
Notable, St. Patrick wasn't technically Irish. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at 16. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people.
St. Patrick is also not technically a saint. He was never actually canonized by the Catholic Church, simply because there was no formal canonization process in the first millennium, History.com reports. However, he is known as the patron saint of Ireland and is recognized as one by popular acclaim.
A popular legend associated with St. Patrick is that he banished snakes from Ireland. However, research shows that snakes were never on the Emerald Isle in the first place. There are no signs of snakes in the country’s fossil record and historical temperatures would have been too cold for reptiles.
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When was St. Patrick's Day first celebrated?
The first St. Patrick's Day took place not in Ireland but in America, according to history.com.
Records show that a St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on March 17, 1601, in a Spanish colony in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. The parade and a St. Patrick’s Day celebration a year earlier were organized by the Spanish Colony's Irish vicar Ricardo Artur.
Over a century later, homesick Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched in New York City on March 17, 1772, to honor the Irish patron saint. Enthusiasm for the St. Patrick's Day parades in New York City, Boston and other early American cities only grew from there, history.com.
Why are leprechauns associated with St. Patrick's Day?
In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies. Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil.
Leprechauns were known for their trickery, which they often used to protect their much-fabled treasure. Leprechauns have their own holiday on May 13 but are also celebrated on St. Patrick's Day.
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This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: St. Patrick's Day 2024: What to know about history, ways to celebrate
