Что такое праздник святого патрика

17 марта — день памяти покровителя Ирландии, святого Патрика (англ. St. Patrick’s Day, ирл. Lá ’le Pádraig). Святой Патрик, по преданию, принес христианство на языческий остров и изгнал всех змей. По одной из версий, он скончался предположительно в 461 или в 493 году.

В честь святого Патрика устраивается парад с песнями и плясками, ирландское пиво льется рекой. 17 марта — праздник не только ирландского святого, но и ирландской души.

Этот праздник перерос национальные границы и стал своего рода международным днем Ирландии. В разных городах мира — в Нью-Йорке, Буэнос-Айресе, Мельбурне празднуют день святого Патрика. Яркие шествия, парады и гуляния людей, одетых в зеленое (национальный цвет Ирландии) заметны всюду, где проживают ирландцы. В петлицу в этот день вдевают клевер, символ Ирландии и удачи.

С именем святого Патрика связано множество легенд, например, о том, что он с помощью трехлистного клевера объяснял людям понятие Святой Троицы. «Так же, как три листа могут расти от одного стебля, так и Бог может быть един в трех лицах», — это фраза святого уже стала хрестоматийной.

В Ирландии существует традиция прикреплять к одежде трилистник, символизирующий крест, цвет католицизма, да и символьный цвет самой «изумрудной страны». Сложен церковный гимн, в котором повествуется о том, что святой Патрик при помощи трилистника прервал языческий ритуал, который совершался в селении Тара, королевской столице Ирландии тех времен.

Святой Патрик — один из самых почитаемых во всем мире святых. Западная Церковь отмечает день его памяти 17 марта, в ряде православных Церквей его память чтут 30 марта по новому стилю (17 марта по старому стилю).

Но у Дня святого Патрика есть и языческие мотивы. Так, одним из его непременных героев являются лепреконы — сказочные башмачники, владеющие спрятанным горшком с золотом. Если удачливому искателю сокровищ удастся поймать лепрекона, то это существо должно рассказать человеку, где спрятаны его сокровища. Впрочем, если вы вдруг поймаете башмачника, то помните, что полностью верить ему не следует, — эти человечки злокозненны и проказливы и легко могут обмануть доверчивого искателя сокровищ.

Говорят, что лепреконы вошли в празднование Дня святого Патрика совсем недавно — компаниям, которые продают открытки на этот праздник, требовался симпатичный персонаж, который мог бы появиться на рисунках. А суровый, хотя и добрый, проповедник святой Патрик не совсем подходил для этой роли. На рисунках лепреконы, как правило, одеты в остроконечную шляпу и кожаный фартук.

Традиционно в День святого Патрика устраиваются парады. На улицы выходят люди, одетые в экстравагантные костюмы, а также духовые оркестры, которые не могут обойтись без знаменитой волынки. Народная молва гласит о том, что эта традиция родилась в Ирландии. Нью-Йорк и Бостон оспаривают пальму первенства. Ньюйоркцы утверждают, что первый парад состоялся в 1762 году именно в их городе. Тогда Ирландия находилась под властью англичан, и вполне возможно, что жители непокорных североамериканских колоний выражали таким образом свою солидарность с ними.

Предстоящий четверг — не просто 17 марта: в этот день в Ирландии и других странах мира (например, Канаде и США) отмечают самый зелёный праздник года — День святого Патрика. В чём смысл Дня святого Патрика, почему Патрик — зелёный и кто такие лепреконы? На эти и другие захватывающие вопросы отвечаем ниже.

День святого Патрика: что это за праздник

День святого Патрика напоминает ирландцам о том, что когда-то давно они приняли христианство. Так что получается, что этот день — праздник памяти и дань традициям. 17 марта ирландцы обычно устраивают громкие гулянья, фестивали и ходят на службу в церковь. Это день смерти святого Патрика — небесного покровителя Ирландии.

Почему святой Патрик — зелёный

Это хоть и церковный праздник, но ещё и символ начала весны, победы над зимой. А что у нас происходит после таяния снега? Правильно, начинают распускаться листья и пробиваться зелёная трава. Кстати, интересный факт о Дне святого Патрика: символом этого праздника является зелёный трилистник. Первое время зелёный Патрик был синим. Новый цвет приняли после восстания 1798 года, когда ирландские солдаты надели зелёную униформу, чтобы привлечь внимание.

Чем прославился святой Патрик

Если верить преданиям и древним рукописям, Патрик родился в римской Британии, но был похищен ирландскими разбойниками. Оказавшись в новой стране, 16-летний юноша, по легенде, изгнал всех змей и научил ирландцев письменности.

Традиции Дня святого Патрика

Жители Ирландии 17 марта одеваются в зелёное или добавляют зелёный трилистник к своему образу. Поздравляют друзей и родных, веселятся, пляшут групповой национальный танец «кейли», ходят на церковные службы, а после собираются друг у друга дома или в барах. Долгое время традиционным напитком Дня святого Патрика считался виски, но позже людям понравилось отмечать этот праздник с лепреконами за кружкой эля. С 1903 года этот зелёный день — официально выходной.

Кто такие лепреконы

Какой же День святого Патрика может пройти без переодевания в лепрекона? Но что это за такие волшебные существа? В первую очередь это персонажи ирландского фольклора, которые могут исполнить ваше желание. Чаще всего лепреконов изображают как миниатюрных рыжих бородатых мужичков, одетых во всё зелёное и с цилиндром на голове. По легендам, лепреконы — это сапожники, они изготавливают башмачки для фей. А ещё обожают проказничать и танцевать.

Saint Patrick’s Day
Saint Patrick depicted in a stained-glass window at Saint Benin’s Church, Ireland
Official name	Saint Patrick’s Day
Also called	Feast of Saint Patrick Lá Fhéile Pádraig Patrick’s Day (St) Paddy’s Day (St) Patty’s Day (chiefly North America)[1][2][3][4]
Observed by	Irish people and people of Irish descent Catholic Church (see calendar) Anglican Communion (see calendars) Eastern Orthodox Church (see calendar) Lutheran Church (see calendar)
Type	Ethnic, national, Christian
Significance	Feast day of Saint Patrick, commemoration of the arrival of Christianity in Ireland[5][6]
Celebrations	Attending parades and a céilí Wearing green and shamrocks Drinking Irish beer and Irish whiskey
Observances	Christian processions; attending Mass or service
Date	17 March
Next time	17 March 2023
Frequency	Annual

Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit. ‘the Day of the Festival of Patrick’), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. 385 – c. 461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.

Saint Patrick’s Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland),^[7] the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general.^[5][8] Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, céilithe, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks.^[9] Christians who belong to liturgical denominations also attend church services^[8][10] and historically the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol were lifted for the day, which has encouraged and propagated the holiday’s tradition of alcohol consumption.^{[8][9][11][12]}

Saint Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland,^[13] Northern Ireland,^[14] the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador (for provincial government employees), and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated in the United Kingdom,^[15] Canada, United States, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, especially amongst Irish diaspora. Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival.^[16] Modern celebrations have been greatly influenced by those of the Irish diaspora, particularly those that developed in North America. However, there has been criticism of Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations for having become too commercialised and for fostering negative stereotypes of the Irish people.^[17]

Saint Patrick[edit]

Saint Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and Bishop in Ireland. Much of what is known about Saint Patrick comes from the Declaration, which was allegedly written by Patrick himself. It is believed that he was born in Roman Britain in the fourth century, into a wealthy Romano-British family. His father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest in the Christian church. According to the Declaration, at the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Gaelic Ireland.^[18] It says that he spent six years there working as a shepherd and that during this time he found God. The Declaration says that God told Patrick to flee to the coast, where a ship would be waiting to take him home. After making his way home, Patrick went on to become a priest.^[19]

According to tradition, Patrick returned to Ireland to convert the pagan Irish to Christianity. The Declaration says that he spent many years evangelising in the northern half of Ireland and converted thousands.

Patrick’s efforts were eventually turned into an allegory in which he drove «snakes» out of Ireland, despite the fact that snakes were not known to inhabit the region.^[20]

Tradition holds that he died on 17 March and was buried at Downpatrick. Over the following centuries, many legends grew up around Patrick and he became Ireland’s foremost saint.

Celebration and traditions[edit]

Today’s Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations have been greatly influenced by those that developed among the Irish diaspora, especially in North America. Until the late 20th century, Saint Patrick’s Day was often a bigger celebration among the diaspora than it was in Ireland.^[16]

Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, Irish traditional music sessions (céilithe), and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks.^[9] There are also formal gatherings such as banquets and dances, although these were more common in the past. Saint Patrick’s Day parades began in North America in the 18th century but did not spread to Ireland until the 20th century.^[21] The participants generally include marching bands, the military, fire brigades, cultural organisations, charitable organisations, voluntary associations, youth groups, fraternities, and so on. However, over time, many of the parades have become more akin to a carnival. More effort is made to use the Irish language, especially in Ireland, where 1 March to St Patrick’s Day on 17 March is Seachtain na Gaeilge («Irish language week»).^[22]

Since 2010, famous landmarks have been lit up in green on Saint Patrick’s Day as part of Tourism Ireland’s «Global Greening Initiative» or «Going Green for St Patrick’s Day».^[23][24] The Sydney Opera House and the Sky Tower in Auckland were the first landmarks to participate and since then over 300 landmarks in fifty countries across the globe have gone green for Saint Patricks day.^[25][26]

Christians may also attend church services,^[8][10] and the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day. Perhaps because of this, drinking alcohol – particularly Irish whiskey, beer, or cider – has become an integral part of the celebrations.^{[8][9][11][12]} The Saint Patrick’s Day custom of «drowning the shamrock» or «wetting the shamrock» was historically popular. At the end of the celebrations, especially in Ireland, a shamrock is put into the bottom of a cup, which is then filled with whiskey, beer, or cider. It is then drunk as a toast to Saint Patrick, Ireland, or those present. The shamrock would either be swallowed with the drink or taken out and tossed over the shoulder for good luck. ^[27][28][29]

Irish Government Ministers travel abroad on official visits to various countries around the globe to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day and promote Ireland.^[30][31] The most prominent of these is the visit of the Irish Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) with the U.S. President which happens on or around Saint Patrick’s Day.^[32][33] Traditionally the Taoiseach presents the U.S. President a Waterford Crystal bowl filled with shamrocks.^[34] This tradition began when in 1952, Irish Ambassador to the U.S. John Hearne sent a box of shamrocks to President Harry S. Truman. From then on it became an annual tradition of the Irish ambassador to the U.S. to present the Saint Patrick’s Day shamrock to an official in the U.S. President’s administration, although on some occasions the shamrock presentation was made by the Irish Taoiseach or Irish President to the U.S. President personally in Washington, such as when President Dwight D. Eisenhower met Taoiseach John A. Costello in 1956 and President Seán T. O’Kelly in 1959 or when President Ronald Reagan met Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald in 1986 and Taoiseach Charles Haughey in 1987.^[32][34] However it was only after the meeting between Taoiseach Albert Reynolds and President Bill Clinton in 1994 that the presenting of the shamrock ceremony became an annual event for the leaders of both countries for Saint Patrick’s Day.^[32][35] The presenting of the Shamrock ceremony was cancelled in 2020 due to the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[36][37]

Wearing green[edit]

On Saint Patrick’s Day, it is customary to wear shamrocks, green clothing or green accessories. Saint Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish.^[38][39] This story first appears in writing in 1726, though it may be older. In pagan Ireland, three was a significant number and the Irish had many triple deities, which may have aided St Patrick in his evangelisation efforts.^[40][41] Roger Homan writes, «We can perhaps see St Patrick drawing upon the visual concept of the triskele when he uses the shamrock to explain the Trinity».^[42] Patricia Monaghan says there is no evidence the shamrock was sacred to the pagan Irish.^[40] Jack Santino speculates that it may have represented the regenerative powers of nature, and was recast in a Christian context‍—‌icons of St Patrick often depict the saint «with a cross in one hand and a sprig of shamrocks in the other».^[43]

The first association of the colour green with Ireland is from a legend in the 11th century Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of the Taking of Ireland). It tells of Goídel Glas (Goídel the green), the eponymous ancestor of the Gaels and creator of the Goidelic languages (Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx).^[44][45] Goídel is bitten by a venomous snake but saved from death by Moses placing his staff on the snakebite, leaving him with a green mark. His descendants settle in Ireland, a land free of snakes.^[46] One of these, Íth, climbs the Tower of Hercules and is so captivated by the sight of a beautiful green island in the distance that he must set sail immediately.^[44][45][46]

The colour green was further associated with Ireland from the 1640s, when the green harp flag was used by the Irish Catholic Confederation. Later, James Connolly described this flag as representing «the sacred emblem of Ireland’s unconquered soul».^[47] Green ribbons and shamrocks have been worn on St Patrick’s Day since at least the 1680s.^[48] Since then, the colour green and its association with St Patrick’s Day have grown.^[49] The Friendly Brothers of St Patrick, an Irish fraternity founded in about 1750,^[50] adopted green as its colour.^[51] The Order of St Patrick, an Anglo-Irish chivalric order founded in 1783, instead adopted blue as its colour, which led to blue being associated with St Patrick. In the 1790s, the colour green was adopted by the United Irishmen. This was a republican organisation—led mostly by Protestants but with many Catholic members—who launched a rebellion in 1798 against British rule. Ireland was first called «the Emerald Isle» in «When Erin First Rose» (1795), a poem by a co-founder of the United Irishmen, William Drennan, which stresses the historical importance of green to the Irish.^{[52][53][54][55]} The phrase «wearing of the green» comes from a song of the same name about United Irishmen being persecuted for wearing green. The flags of the 1916 Easter Rising featured green, such as the Starry Plough banner and the Proclamation Flag of the Irish Republic. When the Irish Free State was founded in 1922, the government ordered all post boxes be painted green, under the slogan «green paint for a green people»;^[56][57] in 1924, the government introduced a green Irish passport.^[58][59][60]

The wearing of the ‘St Patrick’s Day Cross’ was also a popular custom in Ireland until the early 20th century. These were a Celtic Christian cross made of paper that was «covered with silk or ribbon of different colours, and a bunch or rosette of green silk in the centre».^[61]

Ireland[edit]

Saint Patrick’s feast day, as a kind of national day, was already being celebrated by the Irish in Europe in the ninth and tenth centuries. In later times, he became more and more widely seen as the patron of Ireland.^[62] Saint Patrick’s feast day was finally placed on the universal liturgical calendar in the Catholic Church due to the influence of Waterford-born Franciscan scholar Luke Wadding^[63] in the early 1600s. Saint Patrick’s Day thus became a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics in Ireland. It is also a feast day in the Church of Ireland, which is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church calendar avoids the observance of saints’ feasts during certain solemnities, moving the saint’s day to a time outside those periods. St Patrick’s Day is occasionally affected by this requirement, when 17 March falls during Holy Week. This happened in 1940, when Saint Patrick’s Day was observed on 3 April to avoid it coinciding with Palm Sunday, and again in 2008, where it was officially observed on 15 March.^[64] St Patrick’s Day will not fall within Holy Week again until 2160.^[65][66] However, the popular festivities may still be held on 17 March or on a weekend near to the feast day.^[67]

In 1903, St Patrick’s Day became an official public holiday in Ireland. This was thanks to the Bank Holiday (Ireland) Act 1903, an act of the United Kingdom Parliament introduced by Irish Member of Parliament James O’Mara.^[68]

The first St Patrick’s Day parade in Ireland was held in Waterford in 1903. The week of St Patrick’s Day 1903 had been declared Irish Language Week by the Gaelic League and in Waterford they opted to have a procession on Sunday 15 March. The procession comprised the Mayor and members of Waterford Corporation, the Trades Hall, the various trade unions and bands who included the ‘Barrack St Band’ and the ‘Thomas Francis Meagher Band’.^[69] The parade began at the premises of the Gaelic League in George’s St and finished in the Peoples Park, where the public were addressed by the Mayor and other dignitaries.^[70][71] On Tuesday 17 March, most Waterford businesses—including public houses—were closed and marching bands paraded as they had two days previously.^[72] The Waterford Trades Hall had been emphatic that the National Holiday be observed.^[70]

On St Patrick’s Day 1916, the Irish Volunteers—an Irish nationalist paramilitary organisation—held parades throughout Ireland. The authorities recorded 38 St Patrick’s Day parades, involving 6,000 marchers, almost half of whom were said to be armed.^[73] The following month, the Irish Volunteers launched the Easter Rising against British rule. This marked the beginning of the Irish revolutionary period and led to the Irish War of Independence and Civil War. During this time, St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Ireland were muted, although the day was sometimes chosen to hold large political rallies.^[74] The celebrations remained low-key after the creation of the Irish Free State; the only state-organized observance was a military procession and trooping of the colours, and an Irish-language mass attended by government ministers.^[75] In 1927, the Irish Free State government banned the selling of alcohol on St Patrick’s Day, although it remained legal in Northern Ireland. The ban was not repealed until 1961.^[76]

The first official, state-sponsored St Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin took place in 1931.^[77] On three occasions, parades across the Republic of Ireland have been cancelled from taking place on St Patrick’s Day, with all years involving health and safety reasons.^[78][79] In 2001, as a precaution to the foot-and-mouth outbreak, St Patrick’s Day celebrations were postponed to May^[80][81][82] and in 2020 and 2021, as a consequence to the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the St Patrick’s Day Parade was cancelled outright.^{[83][84][85][86]} Organisers of the St Patrick’s Day Festival 2021 will instead host virtual events around Ireland on their SPF TV online channel.^[87][88][89]

In Northern Ireland, the celebration of St Patrick’s Day was affected by sectarian divisions.^[90] A majority of the population were Protestant Ulster unionists who saw themselves as British, while a substantial minority were Catholic Irish nationalists who saw themselves as Irish. Although it was a public holiday, Northern Ireland’s unionist government did not officially observe St Patrick’s Day.^[90] During the conflict known as the Troubles (late 1960s–late 1990s), public St Patrick’s Day celebrations were rare and tended to be associated with the Catholic community.^[90] In 1976, loyalists detonated a car bomb outside a pub crowded with Catholics celebrating St Patrick’s Day in Dungannon; four civilians were killed and many injured. However, some Protestant unionists attempted to ‘re-claim’ the festival, and in 1985 the Orange Order held its own St Patrick’s Day parade.^[90] Since the end of the conflict in 1998 there have been cross-community St Patrick’s Day parades in towns throughout Northern Ireland, which have attracted thousands of spectators.^[90]

In the mid-1990s the government of the Republic of Ireland began a campaign to use St Patrick’s Day to showcase Ireland and its culture.^[91] The government set up a group called St Patrick’s Festival, with the aims:

• To offer a national festival that ranks amongst all of the greatest celebrations in the world
• To create energy and excitement throughout Ireland via innovation, creativity, grassroots involvement, and marketing activity
• To provide the opportunity and motivation for people of Irish descent (and those who sometimes wish they were Irish) to attend and join in the imaginative and expressive celebrations
• To project, internationally, an accurate image of Ireland as a creative, professional and sophisticated country with wide appeal.^[92]

The first St Patrick’s Festival was held on 17 March 1996. In 1997, it became a three-day event, and by 2000 it was a four-day event. By 2006, the festival was five days long; more than 675,000 people attended the 2009 parade. Overall 2009’s five-day festival saw almost 1 million visitors, who took part in festivities that included concerts, outdoor theatre performances, and fireworks.^[93] The Skyfest which ran from 2006 to 2012 formed the centrepiece of the St Patrick’s festival.^[94][95]

The topic of the 2004 St Patrick’s Symposium was «Talking Irish», during which the nature of Irish identity, economic success, and the future were discussed. Since 1996, there has been a greater emphasis on celebrating and projecting a fluid and inclusive notion of «Irishness» rather than an identity based around traditional religious or ethnic allegiance. The week around St Patrick’s Day usually involves Irish language speakers using more Irish during Seachtain na Gaeilge («Irish Language Week»).^[96]

Christian leaders in Ireland have expressed concern about the secularisation of St Patrick’s Day. In The Word magazine’s March 2007 issue, Fr Vincent Twomey wrote, «It is time to reclaim St Patrick’s Day as a church festival». He questioned the need for «mindless alcohol-fuelled revelry» and concluded that «it is time to bring the piety and the fun together».^[97]

The biggest celebrations outside the cities are in Downpatrick, County Down, where Saint Patrick is said to be buried. The shortest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world formerly took place in Dripsey, County Cork. The parade lasted just 23.4 metres and traveled between the village’s two pubs. The annual event began in 1999, but ceased after five years when one of the two pubs closed.^[98]

Celebrations elsewhere[edit]

Europe[edit]

England[edit]

In England, the British Royals traditionally present bowls of shamrock to members of the Irish Guards, a regiment in the British Army, following Queen Alexandra introducing the tradition in 1901.^[99][100] Since 2012 the Duchess of Cambridge has presented the bowls of shamrock to the Irish Guards. While female royals are often tasked with presenting the bowls of shamrock, male royals have also undertaken the role, such as King George VI in 1950 to mark the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Irish Guards, and in 2016 the Duke of Cambridge in place of his wife.^[101][102] Fresh Shamrocks are presented to the Irish Guards, regardless of where they are stationed, and are flown in from Ireland.^[103]

While some Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations could be conducted openly in Britain pre 1960s, this would change following the commencement by the IRA’s bombing campaign on mainland Britain and as a consequence this resulted in a suspicion of all things Irish and those who supported them which led to people of Irish descent wearing a sprig of shamrock on Saint Patrick’s day in private or attending specific events.^[104] Today after many years following the Good Friday Agreement, people of Irish descent openly wear a sprig of shamrock to celebrate their Irishness.^[104]

Christian denominations in Great Britain observing his feast day include The Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church.^[105]

Birmingham holds the largest Saint Patrick’s Day parade in Britain with a city centre parade^[106] over a two-mile (3 km) route through the city centre. The organisers describe it as the third biggest parade in the world after Dublin and New York.^[107]

London, since 2002, has had an annual Saint Patrick’s Day parade which takes place on weekends around the 17th, usually in Trafalgar Square. In 2008 the water in the Trafalgar Square fountains was dyed green. In 2020 the Parade was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^{[citation needed]}

Liverpool has the highest proportion of residents with Irish ancestry of any English city.^[108] This has led to a long-standing celebration on St Patrick’s Day in terms of music, cultural events and the parade.^{[citation needed]}

Manchester hosts a two-week Irish festival in the weeks prior to Saint Patrick’s Day. The festival includes an Irish Market based at the city’s town hall which flies the Irish tricolour opposite the Union Flag, a large parade as well as a large number of cultural and learning events throughout the two-week period.^[109]

Malta[edit]

The first Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations in Malta took place in the early 20th century by soldiers of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers who were stationed in Floriana. Celebrations were held in the Balzunetta area of the town, which contained a number of bars and was located close to the barracks. The Irish diaspora in Malta continued to celebrate the feast annually.^[110]

Today, Saint Patrick’s Day is mainly celebrated in Spinola Bay and Paceville areas of St Julian’s,^[111] although other celebrations still occur at Floriana^[110] and other locations.^[112][113] Thousands of Maltese attend the celebrations, «which are more associated with drinking beer than traditional Irish culture.»^[114][115]

Norway[edit]

Norway has had a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Oslo since 2000, first organized by Irish expatriates living in Norway, and partially coordinated with the Irish embassy in Oslo.^[116]

Russia[edit]

The first Saint Patrick’s Day parade in Russia took place in 1992.^[117] Since 1999, there has been a yearly «Saint Patrick’s Day» festival in Moscow and other Russian cities.^[118] The official part of the Moscow parade is a military-style parade and is held in collaboration with the Moscow government and the Irish embassy in Moscow. The unofficial parade is held by volunteers and resembles a carnival. In 2014, Moscow Irish Week was celebrated from 12 to 23 March, which includes Saint Patrick’s Day on 17 March. Over 70 events celebrating Irish culture in Moscow, St Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Voronezh, and Volgograd were sponsored by the Irish Embassy, the Moscow City Government, and other organisations.^[119]

In 2017, the Russian Orthodox Church added the feast day of Saint Patrick to its liturgical calendar, to be celebrated on 30 March [O.S. 17 March].^[120]

Bosnia and Herzegovina[edit]

Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina has a large Irish expatriate community.^[121][122] The community established the Sarajevo Irish Festival in 2015, which is held for three days around and including Saint Patrick’s Day. The festival organizes an annual a parade, hosts Irish theatre companies, screens Irish films and organizes concerts of Irish folk musicians. The festival has hosted numerous Irish artists, filmmakers, theatre directors and musicians such as Conor Horgan, Ailis Ni Riain, Dermot Dunne, Mick Moloney, Chloë Agnew and others.^{[123][124][125]}

Scotland[edit]

The Scottish town of Coatbridge, where the majority of the town’s population are of Irish descent,^[126][127] also has a Saint Patrick’s Day Festival which includes celebrations and parades in the town centre.^[127][128]

Glasgow has a considerably large Irish population; due, for the most part, to the Irish immigration during the 19th century. This immigration was the main cause in raising the population of Glasgow by over 100,000 people.^[129] Due to this large Irish population, there are many Irish-themed pubs and Irish interest groups who hold yearly celebrations on Saint Patrick’s day in Glasgow. Glasgow has held a yearly Saint Patrick’s Day parade and festival since 2007.^[130]

Switzerland[edit]

While Saint Patrick’s Day in Switzerland is commonly celebrated on 17 March with festivities similar to those in neighbouring central European countries, it is not unusual for Swiss students to organise celebrations in their own living spaces on Saint Patrick’s Eve. Most popular are usually those in Zurich’s Kreis 4. Traditionally, guests also contribute with beverages and dress in green.^[131]

Lithuania[edit]

Although it is not a national holiday in Lithuania, the Vilnia River is dyed green every year on the Saint Patrick’s Day in the capital Vilnius.^[132]

Americas[edit]

Canada[edit]

One of the longest-running and largest Saint Patrick’s Day (French: le jour de la Saint-Patrick) parades in North America occurs each year in Montreal,^[133] whose city flag includes a shamrock in its lower-right quadrant. The yearly celebration has been organised by the United Irish Societies of Montreal since 1929. The parade has been held yearly without interruption since 1824. St Patrick’s Day itself, however, has been celebrated in Montreal since as far back as 1759 by Irish soldiers in the Montreal Garrison following the British conquest of New France.

In Saint John, New Brunswick Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated as a week-long celebration. Shortly after the JP Collins Celtic Festival is an Irish festival celebrating Saint John’s Irish heritage. The festival is named for a young Irish doctor James Patrick Collins who worked on Partridge Island (Saint John County) quarantine station tending to sick Irish immigrants before he died there himself.

In Manitoba, the Irish Association of Manitoba runs a yearly three-day festival of music and culture based around St Patrick’s Day.^[134]

In 2004, the CelticFest Vancouver Society organised its first yearly festival in downtown Vancouver to celebrate the Celtic Nations and their cultures. This event, which includes a parade, occurs each year during the weekend nearest St Patrick’s Day.^[135]

In Quebec City, there was a parade from 1837 to 1926. The Quebec City St-Patrick Parade returned in 2010 after more than 84 years. For the occasion, a portion of the New York Police Department Pipes and Drums were present as special guests.

There has been a parade held in Toronto since at least 1863.^[136]

The Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team was known as the Toronto St. Patricks from 1919 to 1927, and wore green jerseys. In 1999, when the Maple Leafs played on St Patrick’s Day, they wore green St Patrick’s retro uniforms.^{[citation needed]}

Some groups, notably Guinness, have lobbied to make Saint Patrick’s Day a national holiday.^[137]

In March 2009, the Calgary Tower changed its top exterior lights to new green CFL bulbs just in time for St Patrick’s Day. Part of an environmental non-profit organisation’s campaign (Project Porchlight), the green represented environmental concerns. Approximately 210 lights were changed in time for Saint Patrick’s Day, and resembled a Leprechaun’s hat. After a week, white CFLs took their place. The change was estimated to save the Calgary Tower some $12,000 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 104 tonnes.^[138]

United States[edit]

Saint Patrick’s Day, while not a legal holiday in the United States, is nonetheless widely recognised and observed throughout the country as a celebration of Irish and Irish-American culture. Celebrations include prominent displays of the colour green, religious observances, numerous parades, and copious consumption of alcohol.^[11] The holiday has been celebrated in what is now the U.S since 1601.^[140]

In 2020, for the first time in over 250 years, the parade in New York City, the largest in the world, was postponed due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.^[141]

Mexico[edit]

The Saint Patrick’s Battalion is honored in Mexico on Saint Patrick’s Day.^[142]

Argentina[edit]

In Buenos Aires, a party is held in the downtown street of Reconquista, where there are several Irish pubs;^[143][144] in 2006, there were 50,000 people in this street and the pubs nearby.^[145] Neither the Catholic Church nor the Irish community, the fifth largest in the world outside Ireland,^[146] take part in the organisation of the parties.

Montserrat[edit]

The island of Montserrat is known as the «Emerald Island of the Caribbean» because of its founding by Irish refugees from Saint Kitts and Nevis. Montserrat is one of three places where Saint Patrick’s Day is a public holiday, along with Ireland and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The holiday in Montserrat also commemorates a failed slave uprising that occurred on 17 March 1768.^[147]

Oceania[edit]

Australia[edit]

St Patrick’s Day is not a national holiday in Australia, although it is celebrated each year across the country’s states and territories.^{[148][149][150]} Festivals and parades are often held on weekends around 17 March in cities such as Sydney,^[151] Brisbane,^[152] Adelaide,^[153] and Melbourne.^[154] On occasion, festivals and parades are cancelled. For instance, Melbourne’s 2006 and 2007 St Patrick’s Day festivals and parades were cancelled due to sporting events (Commonwealth Games and Australian Grand Prix) being booked on and around the planned St Patrick’s Day festivals and parades in the city.^[155] In Sydney the parade and family day was cancelled in 2016 due to financial problems.^[156][157] However, Brisbane’s St Patrick’s Day parade, which was cancelled at the outbreak of World War II and wasn’t revived until 1990,^[158] was not called off in 2020 as precaution for the COVID-19 pandemic, in contrast to many other St Patrick’s Day parades around the world.^[159]

The first mention of St Patrick’s Day being celebrated in Australia was in 1795, when Irish convicts and administrators, Catholic and Protestant, in the penal colony came together to celebrate the day as a national holiday, despite a ban against assemblies being in place at the time.^[160] This unified day of Irish nationalist observance would soon dissipate over time, with celebrations on St Patrick’s Day becoming divisive between religions and social classes, representative more of Australianness than of Irishness and held intermittingly throughout the years.^{[160][161][162]} Historian Patrick O’Farrell credits the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin and Archbishop Daniel Mannix of Melbourne for re-igniting St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Australia and reviving the sense of Irishness amongst those with Irish heritage.^[160] The organisers of the St Patrick’s festivities in the past were, more often than not, the Catholic clergy^[163] which often courted controversy.^[164][165] Bishop Patrick Phelan of Sale described in 1921 how the authorities in Victoria had ordered that a Union Jack be flown at the front of the St Patrick’s Day parade and following the refusal by Irishmen and Irish-Australians to do so, the authorities paid for an individual to carry the flag at the head of the parade.^[166][167] This individual was later assaulted by two men who were later fined in court.^[168][169]

New Zealand[edit]

From 1878 to 1955, St Patrick’s Day was recognised as a public holiday in New Zealand, together with St George’s Day (England) and St Andrew’s Day (Scotland).^{[170][171][172]} Auckland attracted many Irish migrants in the 1850s and 1860s, and it was here where some of the earliest St Patrick’s Day celebrations took place, which often entailed the hosting of community picnics.^[173] However, this rapidly evolved from the late 1860s onwards to include holding parades with pipe bands and marching children wearing green, sporting events, concerts, balls and other social events, where people displayed their Irishness with pride.^[173] While St Patrick’s Day is no longer recognised as a public holiday, it continues to be celebrated across New Zealand with festivals and parades at weekends on or around 17 March.^[174][175]

Asia[edit]

Saint Patrick’s parades are now held in many locations across Japan.^[176] The first parade, in Tokyo, was organised by The Irish Network Japan (INJ) in 1992.

The Irish Association of Korea has celebrated Saint Patrick’s Day since 1976 in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea. The place of the parade and festival has been moved from Itaewon and Daehangno to Cheonggyecheon.^[177]

In Malaysia, the St Patrick’s Society of Selangor, founded in 1925, organises a yearly St Patrick’s Ball, described as the biggest Saint Patrick’s Day celebration in Asia. Guinness Anchor Berhad also organises 36 parties across the country in places like the Klang Valley, Penang, Johor Bahru, Malacca, Ipoh, Kuantan, Kota Kinabalu, Miri and Kuching.

International Space Station[edit]

Astronauts on board the International Space Station have celebrated the festival in different ways. Irish-American Catherine Coleman played a hundred-year-old flute belonging to Matt Molloy and a tin whistle belonging to Paddy Moloney, both members of the Irish music group The Chieftains, while floating weightless in the space station on Saint Patrick’s Day in 2011.^{[178][179][180]} Her performance was later included in a track called «The Chieftains in Orbit» on the group’s 2012 album, Voice of Ages.^[181]

Chris Hadfield took photographs of Ireland from Earth orbit, and a picture of himself wearing green clothing in the space station, and posted them online on Saint Patrick’s Day in 2013. He also posted online a recording of himself singing «Danny Boy» in space.^[182][183]

Criticism[edit]

Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations have been criticised, particularly for their association with public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. Some argue that the festivities have become too commercialised and tacky,^[184][185] and have strayed from their original purpose of honouring St Patrick and Irish heritage.^{[186][187][184]} Irish American journalist Niall O’Dowd has criticised attempts to recast Saint Patrick’s Day as a celebration of multiculturalism rather than a celebration of Irishness.^[188]

Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations have also been criticised for fostering demeaning stereotypes of Ireland and Irish people.^[184] An example is the wearing of ‘leprechaun outfits’,^[189] which are based on derogatory 19th century caricatures of the Irish.^[190] In the run up to St Patrick’s Day 2014, the Ancient Order of Hibernians successfully campaigned to stop major American retailers from selling novelty merchandise that promoted negative Irish stereotypes.^[191]

Some^[who?] have described Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations outside Ireland as displays of «Plastic Paddyness»; where foreigners appropriate and misrepresent Irish culture, claim Irish identity, and enact Irish stereotypes.^[192]

LGBT groups in the US were long banned from marching in Saint Patrick’s Day parades in New York City and Boston, resulting in the landmark Supreme Court decision of Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Group of Boston. In New York City, the ban was lifted in 2014,^[193] but LGBT groups still find that barriers to participation exist.^[194] In Boston, the ban on LGBT group participation was lifted in 2015.^[195]

Sports events[edit]

• Traditionally the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship and All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship were held on Saint Patrick’s Day in Croke Park, Dublin, but since 2020 these now take place in January. The Interprovincial Championship was previously held on 17 March but this was switched to games being played in Autumn.
• The Leinster Schools Rugby Senior Cup, Munster Schools Rugby Senior Cup and Ulster Schools Senior Cup are held on Saint Patrick’s Day. The Connacht Schools Rugby Senior Cup is held on the weekend before Saint Patrick’s Day.
• Horse racing at the Cheltenham Festival attracts large numbers of Irish people, both residents of Britain and many who travel from Ireland, and usually coincides with Saint Patrick’s Day.^[196]
• The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby Union tournament competed by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales and reaches its climax on or around Saint Patrick’s Day.^[197][198] On St Patrick’s Day 2018, Ireland defeated England 24–15 at Twickenham, London to claim the third Grand Slam in their history.^[199][200]
• The Saint Patrick’s Day Test is an international rugby league tournament that is played between the US and Ireland. The competition was first started in 1995 and continued in 1996, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2011, and 2012. Ireland won the first two tests as well as the one in 2011, with the US winning the remaining 5. The game is usually held on or around 17 March to coincide with Saint Patrick’s Day.^[201]
• The major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada that play during March often wear special third jerseys to acknowledge the holiday. Examples include the Buffalo Sabres (who have worn special Irish-themed practice jerseys), Toronto Maple Leafs (who wear Toronto St. Patricks throwbacks), New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, and most Major League Baseball teams. The New Jersey Devils have worn their green-and-red throwback jerseys on or around Saint Patrick’s Day in recent years.^[202]

See also[edit]

• Gaelic calendar, also known as Irish calendar
• «It’s a Great Day for the Irish»
• Order of St. Patrick
• Saint Patrick’s Breastplate
• St. Patrick’s Day Snowstorm of 1892
• Saint Urho

References[edit]

• Cronin, Mike; Adair, Daryl (2002). The Wearing of the Green: A History of St. Patrick’s Day. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-18004-7.

External links[edit]

• Saint Patrick’s Day at Curlie
• Saint Patrick’s Day History – slideshow by The Huffington Post
• [3] St Patrick’s Day History And Traditions

Saint Patrick’s Day
Saint Patrick depicted in a stained-glass window at Saint Benin’s Church, Ireland
Official name	Saint Patrick’s Day
Also called	Feast of Saint Patrick Lá Fhéile Pádraig Patrick’s Day (St) Paddy’s Day (St) Patty’s Day (chiefly North America)[1][2][3][4]
Observed by	Irish people and people of Irish descent Catholic Church (see calendar) Anglican Communion (see calendars) Eastern Orthodox Church (see calendar) Lutheran Church (see calendar)
Type	Ethnic, national, Christian
Significance	Feast day of Saint Patrick, commemoration of the arrival of Christianity in Ireland[5][6]
Celebrations	Attending parades and a céilí Wearing green and shamrocks Drinking Irish beer and Irish whiskey
Observances	Christian processions; attending Mass or service
Date	17 March
Next time	17 March 2023
Frequency	Annual

Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit. ‘the Day of the Festival of Patrick’), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. 385 – c. 461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.

Saint Patrick’s Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland),^[7] the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general.^[5][8] Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, céilithe, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks.^[9] Christians who belong to liturgical denominations also attend church services^[8][10] and historically the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol were lifted for the day, which has encouraged and propagated the holiday’s tradition of alcohol consumption.^{[8][9][11][12]}

Saint Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland,^[13] Northern Ireland,^[14] the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador (for provincial government employees), and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated in the United Kingdom,^[15] Canada, United States, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, especially amongst Irish diaspora. Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival.^[16] Modern celebrations have been greatly influenced by those of the Irish diaspora, particularly those that developed in North America. However, there has been criticism of Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations for having become too commercialised and for fostering negative stereotypes of the Irish people.^[17]

Saint Patrick[edit]

Saint Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and Bishop in Ireland. Much of what is known about Saint Patrick comes from the Declaration, which was allegedly written by Patrick himself. It is believed that he was born in Roman Britain in the fourth century, into a wealthy Romano-British family. His father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest in the Christian church. According to the Declaration, at the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Gaelic Ireland.^[18] It says that he spent six years there working as a shepherd and that during this time he found God. The Declaration says that God told Patrick to flee to the coast, where a ship would be waiting to take him home. After making his way home, Patrick went on to become a priest.^[19]

According to tradition, Patrick returned to Ireland to convert the pagan Irish to Christianity. The Declaration says that he spent many years evangelising in the northern half of Ireland and converted thousands.

Patrick’s efforts were eventually turned into an allegory in which he drove «snakes» out of Ireland, despite the fact that snakes were not known to inhabit the region.^[20]

Tradition holds that he died on 17 March and was buried at Downpatrick. Over the following centuries, many legends grew up around Patrick and he became Ireland’s foremost saint.

Celebration and traditions[edit]

Today’s Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations have been greatly influenced by those that developed among the Irish diaspora, especially in North America. Until the late 20th century, Saint Patrick’s Day was often a bigger celebration among the diaspora than it was in Ireland.^[16]

Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, Irish traditional music sessions (céilithe), and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks.^[9] There are also formal gatherings such as banquets and dances, although these were more common in the past. Saint Patrick’s Day parades began in North America in the 18th century but did not spread to Ireland until the 20th century.^[21] The participants generally include marching bands, the military, fire brigades, cultural organisations, charitable organisations, voluntary associations, youth groups, fraternities, and so on. However, over time, many of the parades have become more akin to a carnival. More effort is made to use the Irish language, especially in Ireland, where 1 March to St Patrick’s Day on 17 March is Seachtain na Gaeilge («Irish language week»).^[22]

Since 2010, famous landmarks have been lit up in green on Saint Patrick’s Day as part of Tourism Ireland’s «Global Greening Initiative» or «Going Green for St Patrick’s Day».^[23][24] The Sydney Opera House and the Sky Tower in Auckland were the first landmarks to participate and since then over 300 landmarks in fifty countries across the globe have gone green for Saint Patricks day.^[25][26]

Christians may also attend church services,^[8][10] and the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day. Perhaps because of this, drinking alcohol – particularly Irish whiskey, beer, or cider – has become an integral part of the celebrations.^{[8][9][11][12]} The Saint Patrick’s Day custom of «drowning the shamrock» or «wetting the shamrock» was historically popular. At the end of the celebrations, especially in Ireland, a shamrock is put into the bottom of a cup, which is then filled with whiskey, beer, or cider. It is then drunk as a toast to Saint Patrick, Ireland, or those present. The shamrock would either be swallowed with the drink or taken out and tossed over the shoulder for good luck. ^[27][28][29]

Irish Government Ministers travel abroad on official visits to various countries around the globe to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day and promote Ireland.^[30][31] The most prominent of these is the visit of the Irish Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) with the U.S. President which happens on or around Saint Patrick’s Day.^[32][33] Traditionally the Taoiseach presents the U.S. President a Waterford Crystal bowl filled with shamrocks.^[34] This tradition began when in 1952, Irish Ambassador to the U.S. John Hearne sent a box of shamrocks to President Harry S. Truman. From then on it became an annual tradition of the Irish ambassador to the U.S. to present the Saint Patrick’s Day shamrock to an official in the U.S. President’s administration, although on some occasions the shamrock presentation was made by the Irish Taoiseach or Irish President to the U.S. President personally in Washington, such as when President Dwight D. Eisenhower met Taoiseach John A. Costello in 1956 and President Seán T. O’Kelly in 1959 or when President Ronald Reagan met Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald in 1986 and Taoiseach Charles Haughey in 1987.^[32][34] However it was only after the meeting between Taoiseach Albert Reynolds and President Bill Clinton in 1994 that the presenting of the shamrock ceremony became an annual event for the leaders of both countries for Saint Patrick’s Day.^[32][35] The presenting of the Shamrock ceremony was cancelled in 2020 due to the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[36][37]

Wearing green[edit]

On Saint Patrick’s Day, it is customary to wear shamrocks, green clothing or green accessories. Saint Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish.^[38][39] This story first appears in writing in 1726, though it may be older. In pagan Ireland, three was a significant number and the Irish had many triple deities, which may have aided St Patrick in his evangelisation efforts.^[40][41] Roger Homan writes, «We can perhaps see St Patrick drawing upon the visual concept of the triskele when he uses the shamrock to explain the Trinity».^[42] Patricia Monaghan says there is no evidence the shamrock was sacred to the pagan Irish.^[40] Jack Santino speculates that it may have represented the regenerative powers of nature, and was recast in a Christian context‍—‌icons of St Patrick often depict the saint «with a cross in one hand and a sprig of shamrocks in the other».^[43]

The first association of the colour green with Ireland is from a legend in the 11th century Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of the Taking of Ireland). It tells of Goídel Glas (Goídel the green), the eponymous ancestor of the Gaels and creator of the Goidelic languages (Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx).^[44][45] Goídel is bitten by a venomous snake but saved from death by Moses placing his staff on the snakebite, leaving him with a green mark. His descendants settle in Ireland, a land free of snakes.^[46] One of these, Íth, climbs the Tower of Hercules and is so captivated by the sight of a beautiful green island in the distance that he must set sail immediately.^[44][45][46]

The colour green was further associated with Ireland from the 1640s, when the green harp flag was used by the Irish Catholic Confederation. Later, James Connolly described this flag as representing «the sacred emblem of Ireland’s unconquered soul».^[47] Green ribbons and shamrocks have been worn on St Patrick’s Day since at least the 1680s.^[48] Since then, the colour green and its association with St Patrick’s Day have grown.^[49] The Friendly Brothers of St Patrick, an Irish fraternity founded in about 1750,^[50] adopted green as its colour.^[51] The Order of St Patrick, an Anglo-Irish chivalric order founded in 1783, instead adopted blue as its colour, which led to blue being associated with St Patrick. In the 1790s, the colour green was adopted by the United Irishmen. This was a republican organisation—led mostly by Protestants but with many Catholic members—who launched a rebellion in 1798 against British rule. Ireland was first called «the Emerald Isle» in «When Erin First Rose» (1795), a poem by a co-founder of the United Irishmen, William Drennan, which stresses the historical importance of green to the Irish.^{[52][53][54][55]} The phrase «wearing of the green» comes from a song of the same name about United Irishmen being persecuted for wearing green. The flags of the 1916 Easter Rising featured green, such as the Starry Plough banner and the Proclamation Flag of the Irish Republic. When the Irish Free State was founded in 1922, the government ordered all post boxes be painted green, under the slogan «green paint for a green people»;^[56][57] in 1924, the government introduced a green Irish passport.^[58][59][60]

The wearing of the ‘St Patrick’s Day Cross’ was also a popular custom in Ireland until the early 20th century. These were a Celtic Christian cross made of paper that was «covered with silk or ribbon of different colours, and a bunch or rosette of green silk in the centre».^[61]

Ireland[edit]

Saint Patrick’s feast day, as a kind of national day, was already being celebrated by the Irish in Europe in the ninth and tenth centuries. In later times, he became more and more widely seen as the patron of Ireland.^[62] Saint Patrick’s feast day was finally placed on the universal liturgical calendar in the Catholic Church due to the influence of Waterford-born Franciscan scholar Luke Wadding^[63] in the early 1600s. Saint Patrick’s Day thus became a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics in Ireland. It is also a feast day in the Church of Ireland, which is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church calendar avoids the observance of saints’ feasts during certain solemnities, moving the saint’s day to a time outside those periods. St Patrick’s Day is occasionally affected by this requirement, when 17 March falls during Holy Week. This happened in 1940, when Saint Patrick’s Day was observed on 3 April to avoid it coinciding with Palm Sunday, and again in 2008, where it was officially observed on 15 March.^[64] St Patrick’s Day will not fall within Holy Week again until 2160.^[65][66] However, the popular festivities may still be held on 17 March or on a weekend near to the feast day.^[67]

In 1903, St Patrick’s Day became an official public holiday in Ireland. This was thanks to the Bank Holiday (Ireland) Act 1903, an act of the United Kingdom Parliament introduced by Irish Member of Parliament James O’Mara.^[68]

The first St Patrick’s Day parade in Ireland was held in Waterford in 1903. The week of St Patrick’s Day 1903 had been declared Irish Language Week by the Gaelic League and in Waterford they opted to have a procession on Sunday 15 March. The procession comprised the Mayor and members of Waterford Corporation, the Trades Hall, the various trade unions and bands who included the ‘Barrack St Band’ and the ‘Thomas Francis Meagher Band’.^[69] The parade began at the premises of the Gaelic League in George’s St and finished in the Peoples Park, where the public were addressed by the Mayor and other dignitaries.^[70][71] On Tuesday 17 March, most Waterford businesses—including public houses—were closed and marching bands paraded as they had two days previously.^[72] The Waterford Trades Hall had been emphatic that the National Holiday be observed.^[70]

On St Patrick’s Day 1916, the Irish Volunteers—an Irish nationalist paramilitary organisation—held parades throughout Ireland. The authorities recorded 38 St Patrick’s Day parades, involving 6,000 marchers, almost half of whom were said to be armed.^[73] The following month, the Irish Volunteers launched the Easter Rising against British rule. This marked the beginning of the Irish revolutionary period and led to the Irish War of Independence and Civil War. During this time, St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Ireland were muted, although the day was sometimes chosen to hold large political rallies.^[74] The celebrations remained low-key after the creation of the Irish Free State; the only state-organized observance was a military procession and trooping of the colours, and an Irish-language mass attended by government ministers.^[75] In 1927, the Irish Free State government banned the selling of alcohol on St Patrick’s Day, although it remained legal in Northern Ireland. The ban was not repealed until 1961.^[76]

The first official, state-sponsored St Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin took place in 1931.^[77] On three occasions, parades across the Republic of Ireland have been cancelled from taking place on St Patrick’s Day, with all years involving health and safety reasons.^[78][79] In 2001, as a precaution to the foot-and-mouth outbreak, St Patrick’s Day celebrations were postponed to May^[80][81][82] and in 2020 and 2021, as a consequence to the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the St Patrick’s Day Parade was cancelled outright.^{[83][84][85][86]} Organisers of the St Patrick’s Day Festival 2021 will instead host virtual events around Ireland on their SPF TV online channel.^[87][88][89]

In Northern Ireland, the celebration of St Patrick’s Day was affected by sectarian divisions.^[90] A majority of the population were Protestant Ulster unionists who saw themselves as British, while a substantial minority were Catholic Irish nationalists who saw themselves as Irish. Although it was a public holiday, Northern Ireland’s unionist government did not officially observe St Patrick’s Day.^[90] During the conflict known as the Troubles (late 1960s–late 1990s), public St Patrick’s Day celebrations were rare and tended to be associated with the Catholic community.^[90] In 1976, loyalists detonated a car bomb outside a pub crowded with Catholics celebrating St Patrick’s Day in Dungannon; four civilians were killed and many injured. However, some Protestant unionists attempted to ‘re-claim’ the festival, and in 1985 the Orange Order held its own St Patrick’s Day parade.^[90] Since the end of the conflict in 1998 there have been cross-community St Patrick’s Day parades in towns throughout Northern Ireland, which have attracted thousands of spectators.^[90]

In the mid-1990s the government of the Republic of Ireland began a campaign to use St Patrick’s Day to showcase Ireland and its culture.^[91] The government set up a group called St Patrick’s Festival, with the aims:

• To offer a national festival that ranks amongst all of the greatest celebrations in the world
• To create energy and excitement throughout Ireland via innovation, creativity, grassroots involvement, and marketing activity
• To provide the opportunity and motivation for people of Irish descent (and those who sometimes wish they were Irish) to attend and join in the imaginative and expressive celebrations
• To project, internationally, an accurate image of Ireland as a creative, professional and sophisticated country with wide appeal.^[92]

The first St Patrick’s Festival was held on 17 March 1996. In 1997, it became a three-day event, and by 2000 it was a four-day event. By 2006, the festival was five days long; more than 675,000 people attended the 2009 parade. Overall 2009’s five-day festival saw almost 1 million visitors, who took part in festivities that included concerts, outdoor theatre performances, and fireworks.^[93] The Skyfest which ran from 2006 to 2012 formed the centrepiece of the St Patrick’s festival.^[94][95]

The topic of the 2004 St Patrick’s Symposium was «Talking Irish», during which the nature of Irish identity, economic success, and the future were discussed. Since 1996, there has been a greater emphasis on celebrating and projecting a fluid and inclusive notion of «Irishness» rather than an identity based around traditional religious or ethnic allegiance. The week around St Patrick’s Day usually involves Irish language speakers using more Irish during Seachtain na Gaeilge («Irish Language Week»).^[96]

Christian leaders in Ireland have expressed concern about the secularisation of St Patrick’s Day. In The Word magazine’s March 2007 issue, Fr Vincent Twomey wrote, «It is time to reclaim St Patrick’s Day as a church festival». He questioned the need for «mindless alcohol-fuelled revelry» and concluded that «it is time to bring the piety and the fun together».^[97]

The biggest celebrations outside the cities are in Downpatrick, County Down, where Saint Patrick is said to be buried. The shortest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world formerly took place in Dripsey, County Cork. The parade lasted just 23.4 metres and traveled between the village’s two pubs. The annual event began in 1999, but ceased after five years when one of the two pubs closed.^[98]

Celebrations elsewhere[edit]

Europe[edit]

England[edit]

In England, the British Royals traditionally present bowls of shamrock to members of the Irish Guards, a regiment in the British Army, following Queen Alexandra introducing the tradition in 1901.^[99][100] Since 2012 the Duchess of Cambridge has presented the bowls of shamrock to the Irish Guards. While female royals are often tasked with presenting the bowls of shamrock, male royals have also undertaken the role, such as King George VI in 1950 to mark the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Irish Guards, and in 2016 the Duke of Cambridge in place of his wife.^[101][102] Fresh Shamrocks are presented to the Irish Guards, regardless of where they are stationed, and are flown in from Ireland.^[103]

While some Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations could be conducted openly in Britain pre 1960s, this would change following the commencement by the IRA’s bombing campaign on mainland Britain and as a consequence this resulted in a suspicion of all things Irish and those who supported them which led to people of Irish descent wearing a sprig of shamrock on Saint Patrick’s day in private or attending specific events.^[104] Today after many years following the Good Friday Agreement, people of Irish descent openly wear a sprig of shamrock to celebrate their Irishness.^[104]

Christian denominations in Great Britain observing his feast day include The Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church.^[105]

Birmingham holds the largest Saint Patrick’s Day parade in Britain with a city centre parade^[106] over a two-mile (3 km) route through the city centre. The organisers describe it as the third biggest parade in the world after Dublin and New York.^[107]

London, since 2002, has had an annual Saint Patrick’s Day parade which takes place on weekends around the 17th, usually in Trafalgar Square. In 2008 the water in the Trafalgar Square fountains was dyed green. In 2020 the Parade was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^{[citation needed]}

Liverpool has the highest proportion of residents with Irish ancestry of any English city.^[108] This has led to a long-standing celebration on St Patrick’s Day in terms of music, cultural events and the parade.^{[citation needed]}

Manchester hosts a two-week Irish festival in the weeks prior to Saint Patrick’s Day. The festival includes an Irish Market based at the city’s town hall which flies the Irish tricolour opposite the Union Flag, a large parade as well as a large number of cultural and learning events throughout the two-week period.^[109]

Malta[edit]

The first Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations in Malta took place in the early 20th century by soldiers of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers who were stationed in Floriana. Celebrations were held in the Balzunetta area of the town, which contained a number of bars and was located close to the barracks. The Irish diaspora in Malta continued to celebrate the feast annually.^[110]

Today, Saint Patrick’s Day is mainly celebrated in Spinola Bay and Paceville areas of St Julian’s,^[111] although other celebrations still occur at Floriana^[110] and other locations.^[112][113] Thousands of Maltese attend the celebrations, «which are more associated with drinking beer than traditional Irish culture.»^[114][115]

Norway[edit]

Norway has had a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Oslo since 2000, first organized by Irish expatriates living in Norway, and partially coordinated with the Irish embassy in Oslo.^[116]

Russia[edit]

The first Saint Patrick’s Day parade in Russia took place in 1992.^[117] Since 1999, there has been a yearly «Saint Patrick’s Day» festival in Moscow and other Russian cities.^[118] The official part of the Moscow parade is a military-style parade and is held in collaboration with the Moscow government and the Irish embassy in Moscow. The unofficial parade is held by volunteers and resembles a carnival. In 2014, Moscow Irish Week was celebrated from 12 to 23 March, which includes Saint Patrick’s Day on 17 March. Over 70 events celebrating Irish culture in Moscow, St Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Voronezh, and Volgograd were sponsored by the Irish Embassy, the Moscow City Government, and other organisations.^[119]

In 2017, the Russian Orthodox Church added the feast day of Saint Patrick to its liturgical calendar, to be celebrated on 30 March [O.S. 17 March].^[120]

Bosnia and Herzegovina[edit]

Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina has a large Irish expatriate community.^[121][122] The community established the Sarajevo Irish Festival in 2015, which is held for three days around and including Saint Patrick’s Day. The festival organizes an annual a parade, hosts Irish theatre companies, screens Irish films and organizes concerts of Irish folk musicians. The festival has hosted numerous Irish artists, filmmakers, theatre directors and musicians such as Conor Horgan, Ailis Ni Riain, Dermot Dunne, Mick Moloney, Chloë Agnew and others.^{[123][124][125]}

Scotland[edit]

The Scottish town of Coatbridge, where the majority of the town’s population are of Irish descent,^[126][127] also has a Saint Patrick’s Day Festival which includes celebrations and parades in the town centre.^[127][128]

Glasgow has a considerably large Irish population; due, for the most part, to the Irish immigration during the 19th century. This immigration was the main cause in raising the population of Glasgow by over 100,000 people.^[129] Due to this large Irish population, there are many Irish-themed pubs and Irish interest groups who hold yearly celebrations on Saint Patrick’s day in Glasgow. Glasgow has held a yearly Saint Patrick’s Day parade and festival since 2007.^[130]

Switzerland[edit]

While Saint Patrick’s Day in Switzerland is commonly celebrated on 17 March with festivities similar to those in neighbouring central European countries, it is not unusual for Swiss students to organise celebrations in their own living spaces on Saint Patrick’s Eve. Most popular are usually those in Zurich’s Kreis 4. Traditionally, guests also contribute with beverages and dress in green.^[131]

Lithuania[edit]

Although it is not a national holiday in Lithuania, the Vilnia River is dyed green every year on the Saint Patrick’s Day in the capital Vilnius.^[132]

Americas[edit]

Canada[edit]

One of the longest-running and largest Saint Patrick’s Day (French: le jour de la Saint-Patrick) parades in North America occurs each year in Montreal,^[133] whose city flag includes a shamrock in its lower-right quadrant. The yearly celebration has been organised by the United Irish Societies of Montreal since 1929. The parade has been held yearly without interruption since 1824. St Patrick’s Day itself, however, has been celebrated in Montreal since as far back as 1759 by Irish soldiers in the Montreal Garrison following the British conquest of New France.

In Saint John, New Brunswick Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated as a week-long celebration. Shortly after the JP Collins Celtic Festival is an Irish festival celebrating Saint John’s Irish heritage. The festival is named for a young Irish doctor James Patrick Collins who worked on Partridge Island (Saint John County) quarantine station tending to sick Irish immigrants before he died there himself.

In Manitoba, the Irish Association of Manitoba runs a yearly three-day festival of music and culture based around St Patrick’s Day.^[134]

In 2004, the CelticFest Vancouver Society organised its first yearly festival in downtown Vancouver to celebrate the Celtic Nations and their cultures. This event, which includes a parade, occurs each year during the weekend nearest St Patrick’s Day.^[135]

In Quebec City, there was a parade from 1837 to 1926. The Quebec City St-Patrick Parade returned in 2010 after more than 84 years. For the occasion, a portion of the New York Police Department Pipes and Drums were present as special guests.

There has been a parade held in Toronto since at least 1863.^[136]

The Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team was known as the Toronto St. Patricks from 1919 to 1927, and wore green jerseys. In 1999, when the Maple Leafs played on St Patrick’s Day, they wore green St Patrick’s retro uniforms.^{[citation needed]}

Some groups, notably Guinness, have lobbied to make Saint Patrick’s Day a national holiday.^[137]

In March 2009, the Calgary Tower changed its top exterior lights to new green CFL bulbs just in time for St Patrick’s Day. Part of an environmental non-profit organisation’s campaign (Project Porchlight), the green represented environmental concerns. Approximately 210 lights were changed in time for Saint Patrick’s Day, and resembled a Leprechaun’s hat. After a week, white CFLs took their place. The change was estimated to save the Calgary Tower some $12,000 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 104 tonnes.^[138]

United States[edit]

Saint Patrick’s Day, while not a legal holiday in the United States, is nonetheless widely recognised and observed throughout the country as a celebration of Irish and Irish-American culture. Celebrations include prominent displays of the colour green, religious observances, numerous parades, and copious consumption of alcohol.^[11] The holiday has been celebrated in what is now the U.S since 1601.^[140]

In 2020, for the first time in over 250 years, the parade in New York City, the largest in the world, was postponed due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.^[141]

Mexico[edit]

The Saint Patrick’s Battalion is honored in Mexico on Saint Patrick’s Day.^[142]

Argentina[edit]

In Buenos Aires, a party is held in the downtown street of Reconquista, where there are several Irish pubs;^[143][144] in 2006, there were 50,000 people in this street and the pubs nearby.^[145] Neither the Catholic Church nor the Irish community, the fifth largest in the world outside Ireland,^[146] take part in the organisation of the parties.

Montserrat[edit]

The island of Montserrat is known as the «Emerald Island of the Caribbean» because of its founding by Irish refugees from Saint Kitts and Nevis. Montserrat is one of three places where Saint Patrick’s Day is a public holiday, along with Ireland and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The holiday in Montserrat also commemorates a failed slave uprising that occurred on 17 March 1768.^[147]

Oceania[edit]

Australia[edit]

St Patrick’s Day is not a national holiday in Australia, although it is celebrated each year across the country’s states and territories.^{[148][149][150]} Festivals and parades are often held on weekends around 17 March in cities such as Sydney,^[151] Brisbane,^[152] Adelaide,^[153] and Melbourne.^[154] On occasion, festivals and parades are cancelled. For instance, Melbourne’s 2006 and 2007 St Patrick’s Day festivals and parades were cancelled due to sporting events (Commonwealth Games and Australian Grand Prix) being booked on and around the planned St Patrick’s Day festivals and parades in the city.^[155] In Sydney the parade and family day was cancelled in 2016 due to financial problems.^[156][157] However, Brisbane’s St Patrick’s Day parade, which was cancelled at the outbreak of World War II and wasn’t revived until 1990,^[158] was not called off in 2020 as precaution for the COVID-19 pandemic, in contrast to many other St Patrick’s Day parades around the world.^[159]

The first mention of St Patrick’s Day being celebrated in Australia was in 1795, when Irish convicts and administrators, Catholic and Protestant, in the penal colony came together to celebrate the day as a national holiday, despite a ban against assemblies being in place at the time.^[160] This unified day of Irish nationalist observance would soon dissipate over time, with celebrations on St Patrick’s Day becoming divisive between religions and social classes, representative more of Australianness than of Irishness and held intermittingly throughout the years.^{[160][161][162]} Historian Patrick O’Farrell credits the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin and Archbishop Daniel Mannix of Melbourne for re-igniting St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Australia and reviving the sense of Irishness amongst those with Irish heritage.^[160] The organisers of the St Patrick’s festivities in the past were, more often than not, the Catholic clergy^[163] which often courted controversy.^[164][165] Bishop Patrick Phelan of Sale described in 1921 how the authorities in Victoria had ordered that a Union Jack be flown at the front of the St Patrick’s Day parade and following the refusal by Irishmen and Irish-Australians to do so, the authorities paid for an individual to carry the flag at the head of the parade.^[166][167] This individual was later assaulted by two men who were later fined in court.^[168][169]

New Zealand[edit]

From 1878 to 1955, St Patrick’s Day was recognised as a public holiday in New Zealand, together with St George’s Day (England) and St Andrew’s Day (Scotland).^{[170][171][172]} Auckland attracted many Irish migrants in the 1850s and 1860s, and it was here where some of the earliest St Patrick’s Day celebrations took place, which often entailed the hosting of community picnics.^[173] However, this rapidly evolved from the late 1860s onwards to include holding parades with pipe bands and marching children wearing green, sporting events, concerts, balls and other social events, where people displayed their Irishness with pride.^[173] While St Patrick’s Day is no longer recognised as a public holiday, it continues to be celebrated across New Zealand with festivals and parades at weekends on or around 17 March.^[174][175]

Asia[edit]

Saint Patrick’s parades are now held in many locations across Japan.^[176] The first parade, in Tokyo, was organised by The Irish Network Japan (INJ) in 1992.

The Irish Association of Korea has celebrated Saint Patrick’s Day since 1976 in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea. The place of the parade and festival has been moved from Itaewon and Daehangno to Cheonggyecheon.^[177]

In Malaysia, the St Patrick’s Society of Selangor, founded in 1925, organises a yearly St Patrick’s Ball, described as the biggest Saint Patrick’s Day celebration in Asia. Guinness Anchor Berhad also organises 36 parties across the country in places like the Klang Valley, Penang, Johor Bahru, Malacca, Ipoh, Kuantan, Kota Kinabalu, Miri and Kuching.

International Space Station[edit]

Astronauts on board the International Space Station have celebrated the festival in different ways. Irish-American Catherine Coleman played a hundred-year-old flute belonging to Matt Molloy and a tin whistle belonging to Paddy Moloney, both members of the Irish music group The Chieftains, while floating weightless in the space station on Saint Patrick’s Day in 2011.^{[178][179][180]} Her performance was later included in a track called «The Chieftains in Orbit» on the group’s 2012 album, Voice of Ages.^[181]

Chris Hadfield took photographs of Ireland from Earth orbit, and a picture of himself wearing green clothing in the space station, and posted them online on Saint Patrick’s Day in 2013. He also posted online a recording of himself singing «Danny Boy» in space.^[182][183]

Criticism[edit]

Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations have been criticised, particularly for their association with public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. Some argue that the festivities have become too commercialised and tacky,^[184][185] and have strayed from their original purpose of honouring St Patrick and Irish heritage.^{[186][187][184]} Irish American journalist Niall O’Dowd has criticised attempts to recast Saint Patrick’s Day as a celebration of multiculturalism rather than a celebration of Irishness.^[188]

Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations have also been criticised for fostering demeaning stereotypes of Ireland and Irish people.^[184] An example is the wearing of ‘leprechaun outfits’,^[189] which are based on derogatory 19th century caricatures of the Irish.^[190] In the run up to St Patrick’s Day 2014, the Ancient Order of Hibernians successfully campaigned to stop major American retailers from selling novelty merchandise that promoted negative Irish stereotypes.^[191]

Some^[who?] have described Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations outside Ireland as displays of «Plastic Paddyness»; where foreigners appropriate and misrepresent Irish culture, claim Irish identity, and enact Irish stereotypes.^[192]

LGBT groups in the US were long banned from marching in Saint Patrick’s Day parades in New York City and Boston, resulting in the landmark Supreme Court decision of Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Group of Boston. In New York City, the ban was lifted in 2014,^[193] but LGBT groups still find that barriers to participation exist.^[194] In Boston, the ban on LGBT group participation was lifted in 2015.^[195]

Sports events[edit]

• Traditionally the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship and All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship were held on Saint Patrick’s Day in Croke Park, Dublin, but since 2020 these now take place in January. The Interprovincial Championship was previously held on 17 March but this was switched to games being played in Autumn.
• The Leinster Schools Rugby Senior Cup, Munster Schools Rugby Senior Cup and Ulster Schools Senior Cup are held on Saint Patrick’s Day. The Connacht Schools Rugby Senior Cup is held on the weekend before Saint Patrick’s Day.
• Horse racing at the Cheltenham Festival attracts large numbers of Irish people, both residents of Britain and many who travel from Ireland, and usually coincides with Saint Patrick’s Day.^[196]
• The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby Union tournament competed by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales and reaches its climax on or around Saint Patrick’s Day.^[197][198] On St Patrick’s Day 2018, Ireland defeated England 24–15 at Twickenham, London to claim the third Grand Slam in their history.^[199][200]
• The Saint Patrick’s Day Test is an international rugby league tournament that is played between the US and Ireland. The competition was first started in 1995 and continued in 1996, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2011, and 2012. Ireland won the first two tests as well as the one in 2011, with the US winning the remaining 5. The game is usually held on or around 17 March to coincide with Saint Patrick’s Day.^[201]
• The major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada that play during March often wear special third jerseys to acknowledge the holiday. Examples include the Buffalo Sabres (who have worn special Irish-themed practice jerseys), Toronto Maple Leafs (who wear Toronto St. Patricks throwbacks), New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, and most Major League Baseball teams. The New Jersey Devils have worn their green-and-red throwback jerseys on or around Saint Patrick’s Day in recent years.^[202]

See also[edit]

• Gaelic calendar, also known as Irish calendar
• «It’s a Great Day for the Irish»
• Order of St. Patrick
• Saint Patrick’s Breastplate
• St. Patrick’s Day Snowstorm of 1892
• Saint Urho

References[edit]

• Cronin, Mike; Adair, Daryl (2002). The Wearing of the Green: A History of St. Patrick’s Day. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-18004-7.

External links[edit]

• Saint Patrick’s Day at Curlie
• Saint Patrick’s Day History – slideshow by The Huffington Post
• [3] St Patrick’s Day History And Traditions

День святого Патрика: что это за праздник и как правильно его отмечать

Почему национальный ирландский праздник вдруг стали отмечать в России

17 марта 2022, 06:51, Оксана Михайлова

День святого Патрика / Фото: Jill Wellington с сайта Pixabay

https://radiosputnik.ria.ru/20220317/patrik-1775518802.html

Как культурно отметить День святого Патрика

День святого Патрика 2022: история, традиции, когда отмечают и как празднуют

Как культурно отметить День святого Патрика

Радио Sputnik, 17.03.2022

2022-03-17T07:00

2022-03-17T07:00

2022-03-17T07:00

авторы

джордж вашингтон

россия

дублин

международная космическая станция (мкс)

ирландия

подкасты – радио sputnik

праздник

https://cdnn21.img.ria.ru/images/155188/39/1551883947_0:879:2048:2031_1920x0_80_0_0_85ffef179f74269bedea6d082767e3d3.jpg

Зеленые костюмы, яркие парады и море ирландского пива! Если вы наблюдаете вокруг все это, значит на дворе День святого Патрика! Когда и как в 2022 году отмечать старинный ирландский праздник, расскажет радио Sputnik.День святого ПатрикаЭтот праздник устроен в честь христианского миссионера, который проповедовал в V веке. С его жизнью связано огромное количество мифов и легенд. Так, считается, что именно святой Патрик изгнал из Ирландии змей, он придумал использовать трилистник, чтобы объяснить простым людям принцип Святой троицы. Вместе с тем, у праздника много и языческих мотивов. Его неотъемлемой частью является участие лепреконов – магических древних существ, охраняющих горшочки с золотом!Когда проходитДень 17 марта стал праздничным в Ирландии еще в X-XI веках, но долгое время это было местечковое торжество. Со временем этот день стали отмечать по всей стране на официальном уровне, а затем и по всему миру. Дата связана с предположительным днем смерти святого. Точной информации о биографии Патрика очень мало, хотя к сегодняшнему дню и было значительное количество исследований, посвященных событиям его жизни. По разным версиям, год смерти находится в промежутке от 432 до 491 года. Также достоверно неизвестно, где и когда он был захоронен, но принято считать, что в соборе Святой Троицы в Даунпатрике. Вместе с этим и сама Ирландия, и Церковь сошлись на дате 17 марта, которая ни у кого не вызывала вопросов.Кто отмечаетНесмотря на то, что праздник предусматривает чествование покровителя Ирландии, торжество с удовольствием отмечают по всему миру. Празднованиями непосредственно на Изумрудном острове все не ограничивается, скорее, наоборот, самые яркие, дикие и буйные отмечания проходят в Америке, где проживает большое число потомков ирландских мигрантов. В России с недавних пор тоже стало популярно отмечать День святого Патрика. Он стал одним из самых популярных святых, поскольку его праздник позволяет развеяться и повеселиться людям самых разных культур.История праздникаКатолическая церковь признала святого в XVII веке, а православная – лишь в 2017 году. В самой Ирландии дату 17 марта официально утвердили выходным в 1903 году. Но долгое время по религиозным причинам в этот день было запрещено продавать алкоголь! Вместе с тем свою сверхпопулярность праздник начал приобретать в США. Многочисленные мигранты стали устраивать пиршества и торжества в честь этого дня в начале XVII века в знак любви к своей исторической родине. А в самой ирландской столице Дублине первый традиционный парад провели в 1931 году, а в 90-е годы власти Ирландии приняли решение популяризировать этот день как символ всей страны. Первые масштабные празднования провели в 1996 году. Ирландии удалось монетизировать популярность праздника, по некоторым подсчетам, он приносит стране до 100 миллионов евро каждый год.Символы дня святого ПатрикаСимволы дня святого Патрика фактически совпадают и со всеми символами Ирландии, покровителем которой святой Патрик является.Первый символ – это трилистник. Именно с помощью этого цветка Патрик, по легенде, прервал языческий обычай и разъяснил людям, что так же как три листа могут расти из одного стебля, так же и бог может быть един в трех лицах. Значки в виде трилистника цепляют на одежду, наклейками украшают машины и стекла.Еще один символ – это, конечно же, пиво. Ирландское пенный напиток славится по всему миру, и День святого Патрика поучаствовал в его популяризации. Вместе с тем в барах и пабах по всему миру 17 марта спросом пользуется любое пиво.И третий символ – это зеленый цвет. Ирландия расположена на острове, который покрыт зелеными лесами и полями. Именно поэтому его и прозвали изумрудным. Зеленые пиджаки, брюки, галстуки, шляпы – любой зеленый элемент одежды или аксессуар будет уместен в день святого Патрика.Традиции праздникаГлавная традиция праздника – парад. Это не такая давняя традиция на официальном уровне, но и до того люди собирались большими компаниями и прогуливались по широким улицам. В последнее время парады приобрели роскошный характер, в каждом городе хотят удивить всех остальных.Другая общепризнанная традиция – это попойка. Не секрет, что ирландцы любят выпить, и одно время в День святого Патрика даже запрещали продажу алкоголя. Позже власти Ирландии поняли, что нельзя упускать такую возможность заработать на празднике, и все запреты были сняты. Пиво 17 марта льется рекой. Но сильно напиваться хмельным напитком необязательно, а вот приобщиться в этот день к ирландской культуре необходимо.Как отмечают в миреПраздник с особенным размахом отмечается в тех странах, где есть ирландская диаспора – это страны Северной Америки, Аргентина, Новая Зеландия. Но со временем веселая и беззаботная атмосфера торжества пришлась по душе жителям других стран и культур.Естественно, шире всего День святого Патрика отмечается в США, где до 12% населения (35 миллионов человек) считают себя выходцами из Ирландии. Первый американский президент Джордж Вашингтон открыто называл себя большим почитателем Дня святого Патрика. Именно в Нью-Йорке в 1762 году состоялся первый большой парад в честь этого святого.В России 17 марта стало днем, когда проводится фестиваль ирландской культуры. Организуют парады, проводят музыкальные и танцевальные концерты, в 2014 году впервые состоялась «Неделя» ирландской культуры, продлившаяся с 12 по 23 марта.Интересные факты– Есть версия, что лепреконов стали ассоциировать с Днем Святого Патрика совсем недавно, поскольку для праздника был необходим дружелюбный персонаж, которого можно было бы рисовать на поздравительных открытках. Скромный проповедник на эту роль не очень подходил, так и появились веселые лепреконы в зеленых костюмах.– Уважение к празднику настолько велико, что многие спортивные профессиональные команды в разных странах вне зависимости от традиционных цветов 17 марта представляют специальную форму в зелено-золотистых цветах.– День святого Патрика отмечали и в космосе. Американская астронавт с ирландскими корнями Кэтрин Коулмэн в 2011 году сыграла на флейте и свистке, паря в невесомости. Эта музыка была записана и позже появилась на альбоме группы Chieftains «Voice of Ages». Двумя годами позже канадский астронавт Крис Хэдфилд 17 марта щеголял на МКС в зеленом галстуке-бабочке.– В последнее время праздник все чаще стали критиковать за поощрение алкоголизма и безответственного поведения. В Ирландии многим не нравится, что День святого Патрика стереотипизирует ирландцев.Автор Алексей Красильников, радио SputnikКоротко и по делу. Только отборные цитаты в нашем Телеграм-канале.

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джордж вашингтон, россия, дублин, международная космическая станция (мкс), ирландия, подкасты – радио sputnik, праздник, день святого патрика

День святого Патрика — праздник, который отмечают не только в Ирландии, но и во многих уголках мира. Каждый житель планеты может приобщиться к национальной культуре изумрудного острова и почувствовать себя немного ирландцем. Что представляет собой праздник и как его следует отмечать?

Дата, история и суть Дня святого Патрика

Что такое День святого Патрика? День святого Патрика — масштабный религиозный и культурный праздник, посвященный покровителю Ирландии. Этот день символизирует принятие ирландцами христианства, считается культурным наследием страны. В День святого Патрика принято:

• устраивать парады и фестивали;
• облачаться в ирландские национальные костюмы;
• украшать одежду трилистниками;
• исполнять традиционные танцы кейли.

В этот день смягчены ограничения, связанные с постом, и разрешено употребление алкоголя. Как утверждает Иван Тузовский в журнале «Человек и культура», День святого Патрика, как и другие глобальные праздники (День Всех Святых, праздник красок Холи), теряет сакральный характер, усиливая свой карнавально-игровой и развлекательный характер.

Когда День святого Патрика? Англоязычное издание History отмечает, что уже более 1000 лет ирландцы празднуют День святого Патрика ежегодно 17 марта. Именно эта дата считается днем смерти святого Патрика. Данных о месте и годе его кончины нет (ориентировочно IV–V век). Неизвестно и место захоронения легендарной личности.

В начале XVII века День святого Патрика был провозглашен христианским праздником. Его отмечают католики и некоторые протестанты. Приверженцы православной церкви с 2017 года почитают святого Патрика 30 марта.

Чем прославился святой Патрик? Святой Патрик считается покровителем Ирландии и известен тем, что принес христианство в страну. О его ранних годах жизни мало сведений. Настоящее имя святого Патрика — Мэвин Суккат. Он родился в конце IV века в Британии в семье римлян. В 16-летнем возрасте мальчик был похищен и увезен в Ирландию в качестве раба.

В рабстве юноша принял христианство, затем сбежал и очутился в монастыре Галлии (территория современной Франции). Оказавшись на свободе, он выучился на священника. Сперва его возвели в ранг дьякона под именем Патрик, а позже он стал епископом. Папа Римский благословил Патрика на христианизацию Ирландии, и в начале 430-х годов будущий святой отправился на новое место служения.

Основной заслугой Патрика считается то, что он сумел объяснить ирландским язычникам, что такое Святая Троица (Отец, Сын и Святой Дух), на трех листьях клевера.

Среди ирландцев также бытует мнение, что Патрик изгнал с острова всех змей. Ученым кажется маловероятным, чтобы змеи вообще водились на острове, который славится холодным климатом. Историки склонны трактовать данную легенду как аллегорию: под змеями, вероятно, имелись в виду языческие верования, которые Патрик изгонял как истинный христианин.

Почему святой Патрик зеленый? Первоначально на редких сохранившихся изображениях Патрик предстает в синих одеяниях. Зеленый цвет приобрел большую популярность, начиная с XVIII века, как символ трилистника, весны и изумрудного острова. Именно зеленую униформу надели во время восстания 1798 года ирландские солдаты. С того времени зеленый стал национальным цветом Ирландии, а заодно и цветом праздника святого Патрика.

В каких странах и как празднуют День святого Патрика

Веселый праздник отмечают по всему миру, особенно в тех странах, где есть ирландская диаспора. В чем смысл Дня святого Патрика? Изначально это было религиозное событие, но со временем он превратился в международный праздник, посвященный ирландской культуре. Люди из разных стран принимают участие в парадах и танцах, едят ирландскую еду и наслаждаются фейерверками. Рассмотрим, как празднуют День святого Патрика в разных уголках мира.

Ирландия

День святого Патрика отмечают не только в Дублине и крупных городах, но и в глубинке Ирландии. Модный журнал Marie Claire утверждает, что самый известный фестиваль St. Patrick’s Day Parade давно вышел за пределы Дублина. В этот торжественный день календаря ирландцы:

• раскрашивают лица;
• надевают праздничные одежды;
• выходят на улицы и танцуют кейли;
• пьют ирландский виски и пиво (в некоторых пабах подают пиво зеленого цвета);
• жуют трилистник и веселятся.

На знаменитом параде в Дублине часто выступают группы со всего мира. Вечером по традиции праздник заканчивается салютом.

Соединенные Штаты Америки

Национальный праздник приобрел широкую популярность благодаря ирландцам, эмигрировавшим в США. Именно они в память о родине стали отмечать день памяти любимого святого с небывалым размахом. Первый парад прошел в Америке 17 марта 1762 года.

По мере того как ирландские иммигранты расселялись по Соединенным Штатам, в других городах развивались свои традиции:

1. Праздничный парад в честь святого Патрика — одно из самых знаковых мартовских событий Нью-Йорка. Он начинается в 11 часов утра на 44th Street и движется вверх по Fifth Avenue обязательно мимо собора святого Патрика на 50th Street. Торжество завершается в 5–6 вечера.
2. В Чикаго сложилась особенная традиция — окрашивать воды главной водной артерии города в зеленый цвет. Эта практика началась в 1962 году, когда городские службы по борьбе с загрязнением использовали красители для отслеживания незаконных сбросов сточных вод и поняли, что зеленая краска может стать уникальным способом отпраздновать праздник.

На сегодняшний день число ирландцев и их потомков, проживающих в США, достигает 33 млн, тогда как население Ирландии — около 4,2 млн. Празднование в США Дня святого Патрика — легальный способ продемонстрировать свою аутентичность и принадлежность к коренному населению Ирландии.

Великобритания

Святой Патрик родился и вырос в Великобритании, поэтому торжества, посвященные ему, в стране проходят масштабно и шумно. Англичане и тысячи туристов традиционно надевают ярко-зеленые костюмы, выходят на улицы и приобщаются к атмосфере всеобщего веселья:

1. Масштабный фестиваль сосредоточен на Трафальгарской площади в Лондоне.
2. На второй день проводится парад, который начинается у восточных ворот Гайд-парка: в полдень колонна артистов, музыкантов, танцоров и карнавальных скульптур неспешно стартует и движется лондонскими улицами.
3. Главное пиршество происходит на площади Пикадилли. Здесь разворачивают грандиозную фермерскую ярмарку, работают таверны под открытым небом, продают домашний эль.

Официально День святого Патрика в Лондоне стали отмечать недавно, с 2002-го года. Что касается даты, то британцы отдают торжеству ближайший к 17 марта уик-энд, чтобы насладиться торжествами в выходные дни, а в понедельник выйти на работу.

Неофициально, но широко и весело отмечают праздник в Канаде, Швейцарии, Японии и на острове Монтсеррат.

День святого Патрика давно перестал быть визитной карточкой только Ирландии. Сегодня люди разных стран мира стремятся приобщиться к шумному празднованию, отдавая дань национальной символике и традициям Ирландии.

Оригинал статьи: https://www.nur.kz/leisure/holidays/1721621-kak-prazdnuut-den-svatogo-patrika-v-raznyh-stranah/

Праздник в честь небесного покровителя Ирландии давно распространился и на другие страны. День Святого Патрика отмечают 17 марта в Дублине и в Нью-Йорке, в Токио и Сеуле, В Буэнос-Айресе и Сиднее, а также в Москве. Во многих городах по всему миру проходят шествия с песнями и танцами, участвуют в которых тысячи людей. Кто вообще такой святой Патрик, почему в его честь все одеваются в зеленое и при чем тут трилистник — вот наш полный путеводитель по празднику.

Кто такой святой Патрик: история праздника

Святой Патрик жил в конце IV — середине V века нашей эры. Конечно, точных сведений о нем сохранилось очень мало. Есть, правда, один источник, который можно считать относительно достоверным — «Исповедь», написанная самим Патриком. Но и она далеко не в полной мере проливает свет на биографию святого.

Известно, что на свет он появился в Британии, в той ее части, которая находилась под владычеством римлян. Звали его тогда Мэвин Суккат. В Ирландию он попал в 16 лет в качестве раба — юношу похитили пираты. В рабстве будущий святой и принял христианство. Он молился все время в неволе, Господь эти молитвы услышал и подсказал новообращенному, как спастись из плена. Мэвин сбежал и вернулся на родину. Однако спустя несколько лет он снова едет в Ирландию, теперь уже добровольно и в сане епископа с именем Патрик. А едет потому, что было ему видение, которое предписывало обратить ирландцев в христианство. Миссионер Патрик пришелся «аборигенам» по душе. Настолько, что единобожие в Ирландии было принято без серьезного противостояния.

Считается, что Патрик также подарил острову письменность, а заодно изгнал оттуда всех змей — и змей на ирландской земле действительно нет, это научный факт. 17 марта — это день смерти святого, который оставался среди обращённых им язычников до конца своих дней. Место, где он покоится, точно неизвестно, чаще всего упоминают город Даунпатрик (название которого так и переводится — «захоронение Патрика») на британском кусочке острова. Есть легенда, что место для могилы выбирали два неукрощенных быка. Их запрягли в повозку с телом святого, и похоронили его там, где животные остановились.

Ирландцы день своего покровителя начали отмечать ещё тысячу лет назад. Сначала это был просто народный праздник, а в литургический календарь дату внесли уже в начале XVII века. А спустя еще три столетия День святого Патрика стал в Ирландии официальным выходным. Кстати, миссионер-епископ является небесным покровителем не только Ирландии, но и Нигерии — потому что христианские проповедники в эту африканскую страну приезжали в большинстве случаев как раз с Изумрудного острова.

Почитают этого святого и в православии под именем Патрикий, в 2017 году РПЦ включила его в месяцеслов. Правда, дата памяти другая — по юлианскому календарю, то есть, 30 марта.

Традиции праздника

Сегодня День святого Патрика является государственными праздником в Ирландии, Северной Ирландии, на острове Монтсеррат (входит в архипелаг Малых Антильских островов), а также в одной из провинций Канады Ньюфаундленд и Лабрадор. А мировую популярность ему принесли мигранты. Отправившиеся за лучшей долей в США ирландцы в тоске по родине провели 17 марта масштабный парад с песнями и танцами. Случилось это либо в Нью-Йорке, либо, по другой версии, в Бостоне еще в XVIII веке. С тех пор и пошло: в некоторых городах фестивали в честь святого растягивают аж на несколько дней, а самый размах они приобретают в местах проживания крупной ирландской диаспоры. А вот собственно в Ирландии первое большое праздничное шествие состоялось лишь в 1931 году.

Главная христианская традиция почитания святого — восхождение паломников на гору Croagh Patric на западе Ирландии. По преданию, именно здесь святой 40 дней молился и постился, а демоны пытались ему всячески помешать. Силой молитвы святому удалось загнать бесов в пещеру тут же на горе — и говорят, что злые духи заключены там и по сей день.

Те же, кому путь паломников слишком труден или недоступен, отмечают праздник по-народному. Одна из весёлых традиций — выпить так называемую «Чарку Патрика» ‑ виски или эль с трилистником в стакане. Само действие так и называется — «осушить трилистник». В день Патрика церковь даже разрешает пастве употребление алкоголя, не взирая на то, что дата выпадает на пост. При этом, и вы сейчас очень удивитесь, большую часть XX века в Ирландии даже действовал закон, который предписывал закрывать 17 марта все пабы — уж больно рьяно гуляли местные жители. Но в 70-х это требование власти отменили, видимо, осознав полную бесполезность запрета.

На шествия в честь святого все стараются одеться в зеленый, символический цвет праздника. Есть даже обычай немножко щипать тех, кто цветовой дресс-код проигнорировал. К одежде прикрепляют украшения в виде листа клевера, но не четырехлистного, а трилистника. По преданию, с помощью именно этого растения Патрик объяснял язычникам христианский догмат о святой Троице. 17 марта в форме трилистника пекут сладости, покрытые изумрудной глазурью, а ещё готовят традиционные блюда: капусту с беконом и солонину.

Ещё один символ праздника — лепрекон, существо из кельтских мифов, которое в Ирландии уважали примерно как у нас домового. Лепреконы считаются хранителями сокровищ. Есть даже легенда, что если поймать волшебного человечка в День святого Патрика, он обязан показать, где спрятаны богатства, ну или исполнить три желания. С праздником в честь святого лепреконов стали ассоциировать не так давно, и это был сугубо маркетинговый ход. Просто рекламной компании понадобился милый сказочный персонаж, чтобы было кого изображать на открытках и сувенирах.

Необычные факты о празднике

В честь праздника 17 марта зелёным цветом подсвечивают многие здания по всему миру. Изумрудным оттенком сияли Сиднейская опера, Эмпайр-стейт-билдинг, колесо обозрения «Лондонский глаз», Колизей, Пизанская башня, а также московские здания на Тверской и Страстном бульваре. «Зеленеют» даже природные объекты — например, Столовая гора в южноафриканском Кейптауне. А в Чикаго есть традиция подкрашивать в День Патрика городскую реку. Правда, начало ей было положено весьма прозаическим образом и с праздником связи никакой не имело. В первый раз в воду добавили зелёный растительный краситель, чтобы отслеживать нелегальный сброс отходов.

Новый синий

А ведь изначально цветом святого Патрика был вовсе не зеленый. На дошедших до наших дней изображениях святого он предстает в синих одеждах. По одной из версий, изумрудный стал главным цветом в качестве политической провокации — ирландские солдаты во время восстания 1798 года облачились в форму именно этого оттенка. Есть и более романтичная версия — трава в Ирландии остается зеленой круглый год, так что этот цвет подходил для символа страны как никакой другой.

Праздник в верхах

Зелёную одежду в День святого Патрика надевает даже королева Великобритании, а представители королевской семьи едут поздравлять ирландских гвардейцев и дарят им трилистники. Есть у праздника и другие поклонники среди мировых лидеров — некоторые из них повязывают в этот день зеленые галстуки.

Сто метров до паба

Самый короткий в мире парад в День святого Патрика проходит в деревушке Дрипси, графство Корк. Он пролегает между двумя местными пабами и составляет примерно 90 метров.

Пиво со стиральным порошком

На праздник практически во всех барах предлагают посетителям зелёное пиво. А первым его сварил в начале прошлого века доктор Томас Куртин. Правда ходят слухи, что чарующий изумрудный оттенок ему удалось получить благодаря капельке стирального порошка Wash Blue, но будем считать, что это все наговоры. Вот вам лучше напоследок традиционный ирландский тост: «Если тебе повезло быть ирландцем… То тебе уже очень повезло!»