Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, "the Day of
the Festival of Patrick"), is a cultural and religious celebration held on
17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461),
the foremost patron saint ofIreland.
Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in
the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church,
the Anglican Communion (especially theChurch of
Ireland),[2] the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Lutheran Church.
The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland,[1] and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general.[3] Celebrations generally involve public
parades and festivals, céilithe,
and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks.[4]Christians
also attend church services[3][5] and the Lenten restrictions on eating anddrinking alcohol are lifted for the day, which has
encouraged and propagated the holiday's tradition of alcohol consumption.[3][4][6][7]
Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland,[8] Northern Ireland,[9]the
Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the British
Overseas Territory of Montserrat.
It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora around the world, especially
in Great Britain, Canada,
the United States, Argentina, Australia,
andNew Zealand.
Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated in more countries than any othernational
festival.[10] Modern celebrations have been greatly
influenced by those of theIrish diaspora, particularly those that
developed in North America. In recent years, there has been criticism of Saint
Patrick's Day celebrations for having become too commercialized and for
fostering negative stereotypes of the Irish.
