St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner! Long thought of as an exciting time to get together with friends and celebrate, sometimes we forget what exactly it is we are celebrating and how to celebrate it.
St. Patrick’s day originated as a religious holiday to celebrate the life of —you guessed it— St. Patrick. St. Patrick was brought to Ireland as a slave and is credited with introducing Catholicism to the Irish by using a shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.
The day of his death, March 17, 461, has been celebrated by the Irish with a day of feasting. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade actually started in America. The popularity of the day grew in America, in part, due to the potato famine, when poor and hungry Irish Catholics immigrated to America in hopes of avoiding the suffering.
As Irish immigrants spread out, more traditions started to surround St. Patrick’s Day. In Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green and in New York City, as many as 2 million spectators attend the annual parade.
Nova Scotia also has a long history of Irish immigrants. To this day, Irish culture continues to have a strong influence on the province. Here are a few ways you could celebrate the long standing traditions of St. Patrick’s Day in Halifax:
Head out to an Irish pub
There is certainly not a shortage of Irish pubs in Halifax. They are great places to visit with friends, and many even have live music. Durty Nellies and The Split Crow are two classic pub options, beloved by Irish and non-Irish Haligonians alike. Get out on the town and take in the fiddles!
DIY Irish Feast
Put your own spin on the traditional Irish feasts. Order takeout or make your own delicious meal and share with your friends. You can decorate the table in shamrocks or cut food into rainbows and four-leaf clovers.
Scavenger Hunt
What’s better than some friendly competition? Set up a scavenger hunt amongst your friends to find the pot-of-gold. Get into teams, find a pot or basket and fill it with goodies, candy, or money (if you’re competitive). Lay out clues for each team to find the basket “Amazing Race” style. Whichever team gets to the basket first, keeps it!
Bake Green Treats
Get cozy and bake some cookies, cupcakes or whatever you feel like and add some green food colouring. This is an easy, creative and scrumptious way to get into the spirit of the holiday. You could give the treats out to your loved ones or have yourself a feast!
Attend a Parade
Deck yourself out in green and head on down to Halifax’s own St. Patrick’s Day parade! This year Halifax’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is Scheduled for March 13. More information will be available on their website and Facebook page.
However you choose to celebrate, you won’t be alone. People all over the world with a multitude of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds celebrate this day every year.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/history-of-st-patricks-day
https://www.yelp.ca/search?find_desc=irish+pub&find_loc=Halifax%2C+NS