St. Patrick’s Day Traditions

The shamrock, which was also called the “seamroy” by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the 17th century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule.

Music is often associated with St. Patrick’s Day—and Irish culture in general. From ancient days of the Celts, music has always been an important part of Irish life. The Celts had an oral culture, where religion, legend and history were passed from one generation to the next by way of stories and songs.

After being conquered by the English and forbidden to speak their own language, the Irish, like other oppressed peoples, turned to music to help them remember important events and hold on to their heritage and history. However, the English then outlawed music as it often stirred emotion and helped to galvanize people. During her reign, Queen Elizabeth I even decreed that all artists and pipers were to be arrested and hanged on the spot.

By the mid-20th century, traditional Irish bands like The Chieftains, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem were gaining worldwide popularity and introducing millions to the sounds of their homeland. Their music was produced with instruments that have been used for centuries, including the fiddle, the uilleann pipes (a sort of elaborate bagpipe), the tin whistle (a sort of flute that is actually made of nickel-silver, brass or aluminum) and the bodhran (an ancient type of framedrum that was traditionally used in warfare rather than music). In a sign of shifting attitudes, The Chieftans even performed for Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Ireland in 2011.

It has long been recounted that, during his mission in Ireland, St. Patrick once stood on a hilltop (now called Croagh Patrick), and with only a wooden staff by his side, banished all the snakes from Ireland. In fact, the island nation was never home to any snakes. The “banishing of the snakes” was really a metaphor for the eradication of pagan ideology from Ireland and the triumph of Christianity. Within 200 years of Patrick’s arrival, Ireland was completely Christianized.

Each year, thousands of Irish Americans gather with their loved ones on St. Patrick’s Day to share a “traditional” meal of corned beef and cabbage. Although cabbage has long been an Irish food, corned beef only began to be associated with St. Patrick’s Day at the turn of the 20th century—in the United States no less. Irish immigrants living on New York City’s Lower East Side substituted corned beef for their traditional dish of Irish bacon to save money. They learned about the cheaper alternative from their Jewish neighbors.

One icon of the Irish holiday is the Leprechaun. The original Irish name for these figures of folklore is “lobaircin,” meaning “small-bodied fellow.” Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil.

In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies. Although only minor figures in Celtic folklore, leprechauns were known for their trickery, which they often used to protect their much-fabled treasure. Leprechauns have their own holiday on May 13 but are also celebrated on St. Patrick’s Day, with many dressing up as wily fairies.