This year Saint Patrick’s Day fell on Friday, Mar. 17.
Many Americans participate in traditions to celebrate this holiday. One tradition is wearing green to avoid people being pinched. For Wesleyan students, it is very difficult to not include the color green as a part of a daily school outfit.
In the United States, the Leprechaun is the famous mascot of Saint Patrick’s Day. However, in Ireland they are thought of as the complete opposite. Bible teacher Nathan Emmelhainz said, “Irish people are scared of leprechauns – because the little demons kill and eat travelers, stealing and stockpiling their gold – which they hide, and defend.” Emmelhainz spent time in Ireland as a missionary working as a carpenter for a company and interning at Project Evangelism.
Emmelhainz said, “St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland doesn’t include anything about leprechauns – it actually celebrates the saint.”
According to Indpendent.co, the idea of pinching is to alert someone that without the color green they would not be invisible to leprechauns.
At first, Saint Patrick`s Day started as a religious holiday to commemorate the saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick. This quickly shifted into a day full of festivals, parades, and a lot of green apparel.
Emmelhainz said, “This is a national holiday in Ireland – schools, banks, and public buildings all close and many people visit family.”
Sophomore Sofia Vallejo said, “I like Saint Patrick’s day because there is a lot of green, and I love the color green.”
This is a important holiday for the Irish because Saint Patrick came to be the voice of the Irish, converting many to Christianity and being one of the many saints. Although this holiday primarily focuses on the Irish culture, people all of the world celebrate it in different ways.
Many parades take place all over the United States, including Savannah, Chicago and Cleveland. Also, cities that have harbors or rivers dye the water green with concentrated liquid dye.
All over the world, people took part in festivities and events to celebrate the luck of the Irish. Whether it was dying water green or wearing green it’s important to remember the real meaning of Saint Patrick’s Day, even though the day passed by already.
