Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, "the Day of the Festival of
Patrick"), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the
traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461),
the foremost patron saint of Ireland.
Saint
Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is
observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern
Orthodox Church,
and the Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the
arrival of Christianity
in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations generally
involve public parades and festivals, cèilidhs, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Christians who belong to liturgical denominations also attend church services and historically the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking
alcohol were lifted for the day, which has encouraged
and propagated the holiday's tradition of alcohol consumption.
Saint
Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of
Ireland, Northern Ireland, the
Canadian province of Newfoundland
and Labrador (for provincial government employees), and the
British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora around the world, especially in
Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated in more
countries than any other national festival. Modern
celebrations have been greatly influenced by those of the Irish diaspora,
particularly those that developed in North America. In recent years, there has
been criticism of Saint Patrick's Day celebrations for having become too
commercialised and for fostering negative stereotypes of the Irish.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Day
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