Every year on Mar. 17 people worldwide get decked out in green and their “kiss me I’m Irish” shirts to celebrate the Irish culture with parades, food, drinks and more. It has become a popular holiday with many interesting ways to celebrate all around the world. 

Now first of all, why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the first place? St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on Mar. 17, the anniversary of St. Patrick’s death, a 5th-century missionary to Ireland and later served as bishop there. The Irish have celebrated this holiday for over 1,000 years. 

After the mass immigration of Irish people into the U.S. as well as other countries, Irish patriotism was high. Groups of Irish people would hold meetings and form groups of fellow Irish immigrants called Irish Aid societies. 

According to History.com, “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 United States, with over 150,000 participants. Each year, nearly 3 million people line the 1.5-mile parade route to watch the procession, which takes more than five hours.”

Another one of the most popular celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day is in Chicago where they dye the Chicago River green. As well as dying the river, Chicago hosts three different parades throughout the city, and people come from around the country to celebrate the holiday there.

There is no surprise that Dublin, Ireland has one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. The festivities include five days filled with boat races, the Irish Beer & Whiskey Festival, music and street performances and a parade. It attracts half a million spectators and they also partake in the “greening of the city” where several landmarks are lit green for the holiday.

Sydney, Australia is also home to a celebration of the holiday that dates back to 200 years ago. The Sydney Opera house is lit green as well as other landmarks in the city and you cannot forget the staple of every celebration: a huge parade. 

Last but not least, the British Island of Montserrat, often referred to as “The Emerald Isle” because of its large population of Irish immigrants. This island is the only place outside of Ireland where St. Patrick’s day is considered a public holiday. The country has a 10-day festival which has included a St. Patrick’s Day dinner, a Kite Festival, performances by the Emerald Community Singers Irish Cabaret and more, in past years. 

There are many more celebrations of the holiday but there is no doubt Irish culture is widespread and people all over the world can come together to celebrate it every year. No matter where you may be there is a good chance there will be a St. Patrick’s Day celebration.