Saint Patrick’s day is heading towards Farmington High as we speak. It’s a special day both for long-term history but also a unique holiday that is celebrated in countries with large Irish communities, such as the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and lastly South Africa! We went around to interview students at Farmington, what they do to celebrate saint Patrick’s day!

“I don’t really celebrate it like that but what I do notice though on saint Patrick’s day, is a lot of people wearing green” Sophomore Kyle Colledge said.

Saint Patrick’s day is a day to celebrate both the cultural and historical meanings behind this holiday. It celebrates a global festival of Irish culture, parades and of course the legendary green theme with lucky shamrocks! Not only that, Saint Patrick’s day also honors Ireland’s patron saint.

The holiday is celebrated on March 17th, with traditional Irish foods like soda bread, shepherd’s pie and let’s not forget about the Irish stew. 

“I always get green stuff for gifts, like green food, treats and drinks. Sometimes even chips and clothes that connect with the holiday” Sophomore Seth Borland said.

Traditions during different holidays such as saint Patrick’s day can differ from person to person. Some do a lot, some have it more chill. Either way, some facts about saint Patrick’s day is that he wasn’t actually Irish by birth, St. Patrick was born in Roman Britain, most likely in Wales or another country, such as Scotland. His name was also Maewyn Succat. When he turned 16, he was abducted and kidnapped by some Irish raiders, and later enslaved in Ireland for about 6 years. After his escape, he returned to the main land and became an Christian missionary, converting the Irish to Christianity!

Sadly after time passed on, St. Patrick died on March 17th, 461 AD. This specific date is now the annual holiday celebrating Saint Patrick’s day worldwide and how we celebrate it in today’s time. Lastly, the shamrock that is deeply rooted within this holiday is a symbol of the holy trinity and can also be associated with pagan practices!