The whole world is Irish in St. Patrick’s Day! March 17th
Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated worldwide by those of Irish descent and increasingly by people of other ethnicities as well, notably in Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and North America. Celebrations are generally themed around all Irish things and, by association, the colour green. Both Christians and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of the holiday by wearing green, eating Irish food and/or green foods, imbibing Irish drink (such as Irish stout, especially Guinness, Irish Whiskey or Irish Cream) and attending street parades.
Green ribbons and shamrock, a three-leaved plant, were worn in celebration of St Patrick’s Day as early as the 17th century. He is said to have used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a common feature of the day.
In Uruguay and in Argentina, and especially in Buenos Aires, all-night long parties are celebrated in designated streets, since the weather is comfortably warm in March. People dance and drink only beer throughout the night, until seven or eight in the morning.
Birmingham holds the largest Saint Patrick’s Day parade in Britain with a massive city centre parade over a 3 km route through the city centre. The organisers describe it as the third biggest parade in the world after Dublin and New York. There are St. Patrick’s Day parades in many other British cities: London, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, etc
In New Zealand as in Australia, Saint Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated. It is tradition for people to wear green items of clothing, and the streets are often filled with revellers drinking and making merry from early afternoon until late at night. As many people in New Zealand are of Irish descent, it is widely seen as a day to celebrate individual links to Ireland and all Irish things.
Today, Saint Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated in America by Irish and non-Irish alike. Many people, regardless of ethnic background, wear green-coloured clothing and items. Traditionally, those who are caught not wearing green are pinched, usually affectionately.
The 150-strong Irish community in Sao Paulo, Brazil celebrates with a St Patrick’s Day shindig at the Bridge Restaurant, Rua Ferreira De Araújo, 741, Pinheiros. Traditional Irish stew is on the menu, to be washed down with generous volumes of Guinness and Irish whiskey.
If you’d like to celebrate this day in a traditional Irish Pub, drinking Irish beer, check out www.brejas.com.br in Campinas or www.orilley.com.br in Brasília.
