St. Patrick's Day: The history behind the holiday in the United States FOX13
, or an excuse to imbibe a green pint of beer — millions across the globe will observe the holiday on March 17th. But other than "drowning the shamrock" and getting pinched for not wearing green, what do we really know about the holiday?
As Ritchie explained, the practice of celebrating St. Patrick's Day in America pre-dates the country itself. "It's amazing, it started before there was a United States," he said. "George Washington's troops, who were Irish at the time, marched up Broadway on the 17th of March, and they celebrated the first St. Patrick's Day in New York."
"St. Patrick died on the 17th of March in around 460 AD," he explained. "The recognition of this date as an official Christian Feast Day in Ireland happened in the 17th century, and since then, the day has grown in importance and is often regarded as the most celebrated of national days across the world."
"Most people wouldn’t know, though, that the Sydney Opera House, The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, The Great Wall of China and the Pyramids in Egypt all turn green on St. Patrick’s Day too," said Quinn.
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