By Alexis Joynes
It happens once a year on March 17th. People wear the color green and go and celebrate this Irish tradition at bars. It’s St. Patrick’s Day.
Truthfully, most people don’t know why we celebrate it in the first place.
It is celebrated do to the saint’s religions feast day and the anniversary of Saint Patrick’s death in the fifth century. To the Irish, this is a national holiday is a day where families attend church in the morning and celebrate the life of St. Patrick in the afternoon.
Now you might ask what kind of celebrating do the Irish take part in. The answer is, everything. Not only do they drink, but they would dance and feast, usually with a traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.
So why do we celebrate the holiday in the States? It might have something to do with the large Irish population in this country.
According to CNN, some 40 million Americans claim Irish heritage. However, not being Irish isn’t stopping many from celebrating.
Twenty-one-year-old Wake Tech student Tierra Burton says, “I might not be Irish but you will see me at a bar on Tuesday the 17th enjoying myself.”