As you know, St. Patrick’s Day recently passed so I thought I would reflect and share why I think this is such a great holiday for everyone to celebrate!
1. The Music
Although Ireland is the homeland of many world famous musicians such as my personal favorite, Niall Horan (and technically also 25% of One Direction), U2 and Hozier, actual Irish music is fun to listen to. It has a very unique sound containing instruments such as the bagpipes, flute, whistles and many others. Irish music is unlike any other music genre so listening to it can be a nice break from all those songs that the radio is currently overplaying.
2. The Dancing
To go off of Irish music, Irish dance is amazing to witness as well. Irish dancers possess a great talent to be able to step and leap in such elegance and precision. I give them a lot of credit. Plus, their outfits are really cool to look at too!
3. Parades
Many cities across the world host big parade celebrations for St. Patrick’s Day. Being from Massachusetts, I have attended the one in South Boston a few times. Boston is a very Irish city so this parade never disappoints. In fact, this year it was ranked the second best St Patrick’s Day parade! This year, I attended the parade in New York City for the first time. It was amazing to see how one of the biggest cities in the world can bring everyone together to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Irish culture in a grand fashion.
4. Green Everything
Whether you actually like the color green or not, March 17th is the one day it becomes your favorite color. If not, good luck because you cannot escape it. Literally everyone and everything you see is decked in green. Food (green bagels, for example), people (every person is wearing some form of green, some more than others), the surroundings (many pieces of land and skylines are temporarily green…Chicago even dyes the Chicago River green for the day!), you name it. Literally everything is green.
5. The Fashion
St. Patrick’s Day is a huge excuse for people to look ridiculous and silly. Take me for example, I actually walked around NYC for the majority of this year’s St Paddy’s wearing an Irish flag cape with absolutely no shame.
March 17th is the day for funny T-shirts, crazy beads, glasses, and many other novelty items. If you are not into that kind of thing, it is also the perfect day to rock an Irish knit sweater or a Scally cap.
6. Learning and Trying New Things
Whether you are familiar with Irish culture or not, St. Patrick’s Day is a great opportunity to learn more about and experience it. Since it is a celebration of Ireland, many Irish traditions and practices are celebrated throughout the day all across the world. For example, many people eat the infamous corn-beef and cabbage for dinner. You learn something new every day and St. Patrick’s Day definitely counts!
7. IT’S FOR EVERYONE.
Whether you’re 100% or 0% Irish, St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration for all to participate in. Filled with many parades and parties, it’s an incredibly fun and unique day that I encourage all to participate in every year!
Until next year’s St. Patrick’s Day :)