Not only does Saint Patrick’s Day encompass learning about and discovering Irish tradition, but it also provides a day of celebration for all looking to appreciate Celtic heritage in a safe way with friends and family.

             Saint Patrick’s Day is the global tradition in which all the Irish come together and observe the death of St Patrick, the patron Saint of Ireland. The Irish have turned this sad day into a celebration. They now celebrate this fun, enjoyable holiday with food, dancing, parades and a whole lot of green with family and friends.

            Growing up, there are many traditions that are celebrated within the Irish families. At a young age, the celebration includes a pool party where the pool is dyed green, baking lots of green food including green mousse instead of chocolate desserts and green punch with large gatherings. There is also a tradition where Irish dancers will put on a show for St. Patrick’s Day for all the Irish people, also known as “step dancing”. The dancers would be in colorful costumes dressed in every different shade of green and even other colors like blue and pink to show their festivity. They would wear black flats with socks who had Saint Patrick on them. This was how the Irish came together and turned the grief of Saint Patrick’s death into a celebration which includes parades with family, pool parties and Irish dances,

              As a respectful way to show Irish spirit, students should consider taking Irish dancing lessons or finding tutorials about it on YouTube as a way to show family their new skills around holidays like St. Patrick’s Day. There are specific skills to learn while learning Irish dancing. The dancers move their feet in a zig zag position on the same beat as the Irish musical background.

             During these social gatherings most people dye their pool green and even paint themselves green as well. Irish outfits are included with green tutu’s, hats and even shoes. Dressing up is a great way to celebrate and honor traditions and is a fun tradition to have with friends.

             Students also may participate by spending time in the kitchen with their families decorating cakes, cupcakes and cookies with green frosting, tying in the tradition of making green foods for the holiday. All these delicious treats are fed to those who participate in St. Patricks’ day gatherings.

           There are so many ways to respectfully show spirit, whether having it be an Irish, Scottish, French or even German background, or someone just interested in learning more about these traditions.