St. Patrick’s day is an annual celebration in honor of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, on March 17. In the late 4th century, St. Patrick, then aged 16, was kidnapped and taken as a slave in Roman Britain. He later escaped, spreading Christianity to the region’s to the region’s people in the process. Thus, in celebration of this, Irish families would attend churches on a mid-March morning and participate in afternoon festivities with friends and families, whereby lemen prohibitions against the consumption of meat were overlooked and families would dance and feast, indulging in the traditional menu items of Irish bacon and cabbage.

It is commonly said that St. Patrick rid Ireland of snakes, which have not inhabited the island is the last ice age. This referred metaphorically to druids or pagan worshipers of snakes; this greatly inspired support and love for the saint, leading to an even greater enthusiasm during celebrations in his honor. By the ninth century, many families, friends, and even non-Irish persons had discovered the tradition; it later became popular across the English-speaking West, with the first St. Patrick’s Day parade having been held in the United States (as opposed to the holiday’s nation of origin). The festivity also allowed—and does to this day—Irish soldiers on distant soil to connect with one another and their homeland; this was notably witnessed on March 17, 1762, when soldiers of Irish ancestry marched in New York City to reconnect with their common roots and each other.

St. Patrick’s Day is, of course, well-known in the United States for the shamrock—a leaf-like clover which serves as a popular symbol of the Holy Trinity. As a symbolic gesture of the shamrock (and one of the national colors of Ireland itself), many celebrators tend to wear green on the day of the festival. The shamrock complements the harp, snakes, and the widely famous and parodied leprechaun-and-pot-of-gold duo.