St. Patrick’s Day
Sophomore Laila Bruch arrived at her mother’s cousin’s backyard. A group had gathered waiting for the scavenger hunt to commence. It was St. Patrick’s Day themed, and chocolate gold coins were hidden around the backyard, starting the day of green off with a bang.
St. Patrick’s Day arrived on March 17 and was spent with green clothing, gold coins, lucky charms, and leprechaun sightings. Before wearing green and parades that celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, it was a religious holiday honoring St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, who brought Christianity to Ireland.
“It’s fun with your friends and trying to pinch the other person if they don’t wear green as a joke,” Bruch said.
Before St. Patrick became the leader of Christianity in Ireland, he was enslaved and brought there at age 16. He later escaped but returned around 432 CE with the goal of converting the Irish to Christianity. St. Patrick built schools, churches, and monasteries before his death on March 17, 461 CE. This is the reason why St. Patrick’s Day is on March 17 annually, and the core reason why the Irish celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, but today, others celebrate for different reasons.
“I don’t per se celebrate it, but I at least follow the trend about wearing green,” Bruch said.
Today’s St. Patrick’s Day traditions began in the United States. For hundreds of years, it was kept as a religious event, but during the 18th and 19th centuries, thousands of Irish immigrants fled to the U.S. When March 17 came around in 1737, Irish immigrants gathered in Boston to celebrate their religious holiday. 23 years later, Redcoats invented stories about the green tradition as Irish-born soldiers serving in the British army marched through Manhattan to a local tavern for a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast.
“I have celebrated St. Patrick’s Day for my entire life,” sophomore Megan Roberts said. “I just wear green, so I don’t get pinched by other people.”
Wearing green has become the most common tradition. Kids watch and wait to pinch someone not wearing green, but if the person they pinch is wearing green, that person is allowed 10 pinches. Leprechauns are a common topic throughout the day. Redheads, believed to be leprechauns, are sought out to be convinced to let their friends have their pot of gold.
“Just all my ginger friends really call themselves leprechauns, and they say it’s their holiday,” Bruch said. “So might as well say I have seen a leprechaun once or twice.”
Other common traditions include kids setting up traps to try to catch a leprechaun. Boxes with a sheet of paper covering a hole cut in the top are placed around the living room, while another box is held up by a stick tied to a rope. They hope that the leprechaun will fall for their trap and lead them to their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. However, it usually ends in a mess.
“I hugged my redhead friend Ashlyn because I wanted to know if I would get gold from her,” sophomore Kellan Graves said.
There are many traditions that aren’t well-known. This includes the Chicago River being dyed green for March 17, due to their large Irish population. Another tradition is the “drowning of the shamrock” in whiskey, where a shamrock is placed at the bottom of a beer or whiskey-filled glass and used for a toast. After drinking the glass, the shamrock is tossed over the shoulder. There is also the Paddy’s Day Plunge in Portland, Maine, where residents take a 5:30 a.m. plunge into the Atlantic Ocean. This is often done to raise money for charity.
“I make green juice,” sophomore Kellan Graves said. “It’s like pineapple juice, and orange juice, and Sprite, and then you put food coloring.”
St. Patrick’s Day is not only filled with lifelong traditions but also holds fun-filled memories. Common memories include building a trap for a leprechaun or hunting for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. There’s also dressing up in green to not be pinched or running away from friends who want to pinch you.
“I used to dress all out with green bows and everything in my ear, and it was so cute,” Graves said.
Other memories are also spending time with friends and family. Whether it’s watching a St. Patrick’s Day parade or looking for a four-leaf clover, there are many activities and traditions occurring on March 17 that create long-lasting memories.
“In seventh grade, my best friend was a leprechaun,” Roberts said. “His name is Cameron, and a couple of other people around school were leprechauns. They had red hair and short with freckles. Cameron dressed up as an actual leprechaun.”
