Why is St Patrick’s Day so popular in the US?
We all love partying on St Patrick’s Day, that annual celebration of Irishness. It’s ironic, then, that many of its traditions actually emerged in the US.
Image: Every year, the Chicago River is dyed green to celebrate St Patrick's Day | Shelly Bychowski Shots / Shutterstock.com
When St Patrick’s Day comes around, it’s not hard to notice. Up and down Ireland and Great Britain, pubs are packed with revellers sporting big green hats while drinking Guinness and tucking into Irish delicacies.
However, there’s another country where this cultural holiday (every 17th March, in case you’re wondering) is an even bigger deal. In the United States they take the celebrations to a whole new level!
What is it with all the exuberant parades and dancing you see in so many US cities this time of year? Sky HISTORY thought we’d investigate why the Americans have so eagerly taken St Patrick’s Day to their hearts.
Who was St Patrick?
St Patrick is Ireland’s foremost patron saint. While many aspects of his life are shrouded in mystery and legend, he is thought to have lived in the 5th century AD.
Patrick did write an autobiographical text, Confessio, revealing that he wasn’t actually Irish. He was instead born and brought up in Roman-occupied Britain before being kidnapped by pirates and brought to Ireland, where he was enslaved.
After embracing Christianity on the island, Patrick escaped his shackles and returned to Britain…but not for too long. After becoming a bishop, Patrick came back to Ireland, where he strived to convert native pagans to the Christian faith.
How did St Patrick’s Day come about?
Tradition holds that Patrick died on 17th March – a date the Catholic Church would later officially recognise as his feast day. That was in 1631, but Patrick’s widespread fame had been established well before then.
Indeed, the earliest recorded St Patrick’s Day parade actually took place on American soil. That was in 1601, when an Irish vicar organised the parade in what is now the Florida city of St Augustine. Back then, the territory was actually owned by the Spanish, who would cede Florida to the United States in 1819.
St Augustine wasn’t the only US city to hold a St Patrick’s Day parade long before the United States was even formed. That’s because Boston followed suit in 1737. This was the work of Irish immigrants who had made their home in the city.
How homesick Irish soldiers found solace
By the 1760s, the British army stationed in Britain’s North American colonies included Irish soldiers. They were obviously far from home, but must have felt much closer when celebrating St Patrick’s Day in New York City in 1762.
The American Revolutionary War was fought from 1775 to 1783, with the colonials aiming to secure independence from the British. In 1780, one American general, a certain George Washington, decided to treat his Irish troops by giving them time off for St Patrick’s Day.
St Patrick’s takes on a new character
As we have seen, North America already had a meaningful Irish population well before the Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolution in 1783. However, Irish immigration to the United States significantly increased as the Great Famine ravaged the Emerald Isle from 1845 to 1852.
Unfortunately for those Irish refugees arriving in the United States around this time, they didn’t get an entirely warm welcome. Anti-immigrant sentiment was rife, with many Americans expecting the Irish arrivals to create too much of a culture clash.
With this frosty reception, Irish residents of the United States sought to help themselves feel more at home. For them, what could be more Irish than celebrating St Patrick’s Day? This time, though, there would be one big difference…
St Patrick’s celebrations back home had been very much private, subdued affairs. In the US, though, the Irish decided to make them much more public and boisterous. After all, these people wanted to make an important point – that they were here and here to stay.
How today’s Americans celebrate St Patrick’s Day
Frankly, it depends where exactly in the United States they celebrate. Alcohol consumption is common across the country on St Patrick’s, with beer even being dyed green specially for the occasion.
Chicago goes as far as dying its river green, a practice originally started in 1962 (and, back then, aimed at detecting sewage in the water). Boston, meanwhile, welcomes performances by Irish punk band Dropkick Murphys. However, it’s actually New York City that hosts the United States’ largest St Patrick’s Day parade.
St Patrick’s Day is a great example of how the histories of the United States and Ireland are closely intertwined. You can learn more about both by subscribing to the Sky HISTORY newsletter.
