St Patricks Day

St Patrick’s day has been celebrated for centuries, it usually consists of parade parties or just family gatherings. St Patrick’s day was celebrated in the UK on Sunday the 17th of March. This day is commonly associated with the Irish.

History of St Patrick's Day-

Every March 17, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated with parades, parties, and a lot of green. This date marks the death of Saint Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland. St. Patrick was neither Irish nor initially a devout Christian. At the age of 16, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave. After years of enslavement, it is said a voice came to him in his sleep and urged him to escape. Reunited with his family, St. Patrick studied to become a priest and spent the remainder of his life as a missionary in Ireland. St. Patrick is attributed with using the three leaves of the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity and banishing snakes from Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day was only a minor holiday in Ireland until the 1970s. In the United States, it has been celebrated since before the Revolutionary War, when Irish members of the Colonial Army held the first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City in 1762. Today, the holiday has evolved to become a celebration of Irish culture .

Throughout London, St Patrick’s day was celebrated, these celebrations were mainly associated through the act of Irish dancing and the access to Guinness. These celebrations took place in local pubs and through the streets in parades celebrating the Irish culture. Some explained the atmosphere as being “spectacular” and how it brought many people together to enjoy this special day. Many locals were amazed by flamboyant pageantry, elaborate floats, marching bands from across the UK, sports clubs and Irish dancing schools in the annual London St Patrick's Day Parade. The procession set off at midday from Piccadilly and made its way along a 1.5-mile (2.4km) route, passing some of London’s most iconic landmarks, including The Ritz, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and onto Whitehall.

By Kaitlin Chapple-Allen