Saint Patrick’s Day is held every year on March 17th.  Some people celebrate by designing and creating leprechaun traps, baking desserts, purchasing limited-edition foods from their favorite places, wearing green, and even hunting for four-leaf clovers. These traditions have been in place for a long time, at least long before I was born. However, it is not widely known why we celebrate St. Patty’s Day. 

Saint Patrick’s Day, also referred to as The Feast of Saint Patrick, originated in Ireland to memorialize the death of Saint Patrick, a Christian missionary and bishop. It also celebrates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. The holiday became prominent in the United States way back when the first Irish immigrants moved to America. 

Leprechauns and shamrocks have become the symbols of this holiday. In ancient Ireland, shamrocks were a symbol of rebirth and spring.  Leprechauns have existed in Irish folklore for a long time and are said to be able to use their powers for good or evil. Another symbol of St. Patrick’s Day is wearing the color green. This is said to make you invisible to leprechauns, which is why you are supposed to wear green or you will be pinched. 

The phrase “Kiss me I’m Irish” is also a popular saying on this day. It is believed that this phrase originated from the idea of the Blarney Stone. This stone is found in Cork, Ireland. Legend says that kissing this stone will bring you good luck. It is now a common tourist attraction, where you can lean over backward and kiss the stone, which is actually a segment of the Blarney Castle. 

Limited edition holiday-themed foods and drinks are also popular for this month. By far, the most popular item according to students at Lowellville is McDonald’s Shamrock Shake. It is a vanilla milkshake mixed with mint syrup. They also have an Oreo Shamrock McFlurry available. Dairy Queen has a new limited minty treat called the Mint Brownie Blizzard. A popular location among Lowellville students is Sheetz, who will be offering a limited edition Lucky Green Milkshake until April 6th. 

At Lowellville schools, elementary students completed holiday-themed activities leading up to Saint Patrick’s Day. All elementary students were invited to wear green shirts. Some students proudly wore top hats, shoes, and other leprechaun clothing. Mrs. Higgins and her class used Lucky Charms and marshmallows to practice addition, subtraction, graphing, and multiplication. They sorted, graphed, tallied their totals, and used them to solve a variety of problems. The first graders also found their “leprechaun names.” These were based on their initials. First grade students created and decorated name tags with their leprechaun names, which included Potato McMuffin, Blarney O’Patrick, Seamus Finnigan, and Clever O’Doodles. 

Natalie Parry, a senior at Lowellville High School,  loves Saint Patrick’s Day and is proud to celebrate her Irish heritage. She said, “I love having a day that I can feel celebrated.” She loves the color green, wearing it on the holiday, and pinching those who don’t wear green to celebrate. “Kiss me I’m Irish” is her favorite saying for the day. 

Junior Bobby Loftus, has always grown up celebrating this holiday because of his Irish heritage. He says that his favorite part of the holiday is the color green. His family hosts parties every year to celebrate. “It is a reason to have fun, but is also a culturally important holiday. It gives Irish people a day to remember their ancestors and culture.”