St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration of Irish origin that is observed annually in Australia. The day occurs on the 17th of March each year, with the events and traditions focused on commemorating the Irish culture and its main patron saint, St. Patrick.
St. Patrick’s Day 2019 & 2020 Dates
St. Patrick’s Day History
Another name for this day is the Feast of Saint Patrick, and it is held on the 17th of March globally. It commemoratives the date of St. Patrick’s official death, said to be in 461 AD.
This has been an official religious observance and celebration in Ireland since the 17th Century when the Christian religion held a feast day as the main event. Other Churches also celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, including the Lutheran Church, the Anglican Church, and the Catholic Church, among others.
The day is important as it also commemorates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. Over the years, it has become a celebration of the history and culture of Ireland also. Church services are generally attended on this day, as well as public parades, festivals, and other traditions which have continued on to the modern era.
It’s an official public holiday in Ireland, and some other regions throughout the world, though in areas such as Australia where it is not a public holiday, it is still a much-anticipated event in the festive calendar of the nation.
St. Patrick
The history of Saint Patrick is described in a written text called the ‘Declaration’, which has been claimed to have been written by Patrick himself. Born into a Roman British family in the fourth century, he came from a wealthy household.
Later, he found himself working as a shepherd when kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken to the Gaelic Ireland as a slave. The legend goes that this is when Patrick had a spiritual awakening and was told by God to flee to an awaiting ship on the coast to journey back to his home.
When he arrived back to his homeland, he then became a priest and sought to convert the Pagan Irish peoples to Christianity. The proceeding century saw St. Patrick become a household name for his efforts in awakening Christianity to the country.
During this time, the many traditions of celebration and honoring of this Saint were created and continued to the present day.
For more info on the history of St, Patrick’s Day, read here.
St. Patrick’s Day Traditions
The Use Of Green
It’s said that St. Patrick used the image of a three-leaved shamrock in order to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity to the Pagan peoples of Ireland. Not only is this imagery linked to the custom of wearing green and using this color as decoration in the events, but also the color green also comes from other legends of Ireland.
Another association of green and Ireland is from an 11th Century text which explains history blended with mythology, describing a story of a green mark left on an adventurer when bitten by a snake, and saved by Moses.
Another anecdote of the color green comes from another adventure-based story explaining the sight of the deep green landscape of Ireland spotted from afar. In the 1640s, the color green was chosen by the Irish Catholic Confederation depicting a harp symbol.
The custom of wearing green ribbons and shamrock badges and other attire has been affiliated with St. Patrick’s day since the 1680s, at least. The 1790s also associated green with the use of this color by the United Irishmen, a group supporting Irish nationalism.
Parades
Public celebrations and festivals have been a big part of the way people all around the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Banquets, dances and other musical entertainment bring this excited, festive energy to streets, events halls and bars all around Ireland throughout the year.
These festivities have continued on to this day in modern interpretations around the world. Parades have also been a popular way to spend the day, with North America in the 18th Century putting on large shows of marching bands, fire brigades, and military involvement.
Other cultural and charitable organisations, youth groups, volunteer and church groups and more get involved in different shows and events. In Ireland, this custom got more popularity with the streets becoming more of a party atmosphere in the 20th Century.
Landmarks around the world in major cities have been known to light up the tourist icons, with the Australian Sydney Opera House getting involved. It’s said that over 300 landmarks around the world will ‘go green’ for St. Patrick’s Day each year.
Church Services
Those who follow the religious origins of St. Patrick’s day will attend various Church services on the Sunday, whether or not the St. Patrick’s Day date falls on Sunday. Special congregations for the Saint are observed.
Controversy Around St. Patrick’s Day
Over the years, as celebrations became more festive and oriented towards drinking (a custom long-since started in Ireland), this has created some controversy around this day.
Some critics the disorderly behaviour of the general public, and aim to outlaw alcohol on this day in some areas of the world. Another controversy involves the apparent commercialisation of St. Patrick’s Day, stating it has moved away from the Irish heritage honoring and spiritual roots, and into a day where marketers can make a profit without referencing the historical importance of this day.
Generally, most criticism and controversial events have been around the idea of not considering the origins of this day, or acknowledging the Irish culture in the proceedings, but rather stereotyping the Irish people.
St. Patrick’s Day in Australia
Though St. Patrick’s Day isn’t an official public holiday in Australia, with business trading as usual, public events are still at large around the nation, with businesses and some schools getting involved in festive events either on the actual date, or the weekend (if the 17th of March falls on a weekday that year).
It’s said that St. Patrick’s Day entered Australian awareness in the late 1700s, with Irish convicts taking their festivities into where they were imprisoned or working in Australia.
The occasion gained traction with a large amount of Irish peoples coming into the Australian culture, and official parades were held on this day by the early 20th Century.
Australian’s general observe similar customs as mentioned above, like wearing and decorating with green, shamrocks, and other attire. Organisations of different kinds often hold events which focus on the Irish culture, offering food and beverages and games from historical Ireland.
As pubs have a big tie to the Irish culture, and Australia is favorable to pubs all around the country, many parties are held in pubs in regional areas and big cities.
Official Events
Australia holds many celebrations in Irish hotels, pubs, restaurants and function establishments around the major cities in particular. In Sydney, the harbor area, in particular, will be decorated with green, and as mentioned above, the opera house is usually lit up with green lighting this evening.
Melbourne also has various events which are a nod to traditional Irish culture. For information about where to spend St. Patrick’s day, from cultural events, to parties, for any age, check out the official St. Patrick’s Day website for all the events info each year here.