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St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17, and is the anniversary of the saint’s death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. On St. Patrick’s Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast- on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

Saint Patrick, who lived during the fifth century, is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people. In the centuries following St. Patrick’s death (believed to have been on March 17, 461), the mythology surrounding his life became ever more ingrained in the Irish culture. Perhaps the most well known legend is that he explained the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) using the three leaves of a native Irish clover, the shamrock.

Since around the 9th or 10th century, people in Ireland have been observing the Roman Catholic feast day of St. Patrick’s on March 17. Interestingly, however, the first parade held to honour St. Patrick’s Day took place not in Ireland but in the U.S. On March 17, 1762, Irish soldiers serving in the English military charged through New York City. The parade helped the soldiers reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as with fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.

In 1848, several New York Irish Aid societies decided to unite their parades to form one official New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Today, that parade is the world’s oldest civilian parade and the largest in the U.S., with over 150,000 participants. Each year, nearly 3 million people line the 1.5-mile parade route to watch the procession, which lasts more than 5 hours.

Today, people of all backgrounds celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, especially throughout the U.S., Canada and Australia. Although North America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in many other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore and Russia.

In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970’s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use interest in St. Patrick’s Day to drive tourism and showcase Ireland and Irish culture to the rest of the world. Today, approximately 1 million people annually take part in Ireland’s St. Patrick’s Festival in Dublin, a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theatre productions and fireworks shows.