March 17 is the traditional celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, which has been celebrated by many since 1631 when the Church established a Feast Day honoring St. Patrick. It also celebrates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and the heritage and culture of the Irish. One tradition includes wearing green an American tradition, that started in the early 1700s. It was believed that wearing green made one invisible to leprechauns and those who did not wear any green would be pinched.
Parades on St. Patrick’s Day are also common as people come together wearing the colors of the Irish Flag (green, orange, and white). These parades are large and exciting with floats, bands, performers, live animals, and more. Cleveland has an annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade is on Sunday of St. Patrick’s Day, and starts at 2:04. The parade begins at the intersection of Superior Avenue and East 18th St. and will travel south down Superior Ave. The parade theme this year is Ireland: One Island, One Nation.
According to “The Irish Road Trip”, The Cleveland Parade isn’t just any other St. Patrickś’s Day parade. It is the 5th most attended in the country as of 2024, only topped by New York, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia. With an average of 450,000 – 500,000 attendees and about 10,000 people actively involved in the parade, this year is celebrating its 175th anniversary.
Many people who used to live in Ireland immigrated to America making it a holiday, where even if people are not Irish or from Ireland, they can still celebrate it and enjoy the fun traditions. Ella Rundo, Freshman, says “We celebrate with our family friends who are Irish.”
Small creatures called leprechauns are associated with the holiday as they wear green and have red hair and a beard. The origin of Leprechaun is believed to have originated in ancient Irish mythology, where they were known as “luchorpán,” meaning “small body.” They are believed to be found at the end of a rainbow with a pot of gold.
A common St. Patrick’s Day tradition is for the kids to believe that a leprechaun came into their house and either left behind chocolate or dyed the dog or the milk and other objects green. The leprechaun can also be sneaky and leave behind a mess or footprints.
As a result, kids try to catch him in the hope of some gold. Leprechaun traps are made every year before St. Patrick’s Day and are left out the night before. These can be made with cardboard boxes and a shiny coin, or something to lure the leprechaun. So far, no one has been successful in catching the well-known leprechaun.
Amelia Elting, junior, says she celebrates St. Patrick’s Day by, “eat[ing] corned beef and boiled potatoes/cabbage.” This is the traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal because these food items were inexpensive when the Irish made their way to America, so it is what they often ate. So the Irish-American consumption initiated its association with Ireland and the holiday of St. Patrick’s Day.
Every year families on St. Patrick’s Day sit down and have this traditional dinner together and truly enjoy their luck. Kenny Whitten, Senior, says he “Go[es] to a party and celebrates with family.”
Students at Brecksville Broadview Heights were asked what they do to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Some students say they dye their dogs, have an Irish-themed dinner, attend parades, pull pranks and act mischievous like the leprechaun, make traps to catch leprechauns, and get the shamrock shakes at McDonald’s.
Of the students interviewed, 65% celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. 73% of the students, regardless if they celebrate or not, follow the tradition of wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day.
St. Patrick’s Day has the reputation of being a holiday where people come together and celebrate all the luck in their lives and who knows, maybe you will find a four-leaf clover?
