People all over the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, especially throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and of course, Ireland. It is not a legal holiday in the United States but is widely observed as a celebration of Irish and Irish-American culture, including music, special foods, parades, dancing, etc.

We all know to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day, but why exactly?

This tradition of wearing green was popularized by Irish immigrants in the United States who believed that green made them invisible to leprechauns, which were classic fairy creatures who pinched anyone they could see. 

According to History.com, Saint Patrick, originally named Maewyn Succat, was born in Roman Britain. He was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. Later, he escaped but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people. 

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated every year on March 17, in honor of St. Patrick’s passing away in the fifth century. This holiday occurs during the Christian season of Lent where Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning.

One of the many things that is loved by St. Patrick’s Day are the festivals and fun events!

The 32nd Annual North Myrtle Beach St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival will be taking place this year on Saturday, March 19, 2022. Originally, this year’s event was supposed to take place this past Saturday, March 12, but was moved forward one week due to inclement weather. This event features a large parade that will begin at 9 a.m., followed by the festival that lasts from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This festival features around 150 vendors from food to craft services with multiple stages of live music and entertainment! Around 40,000 attend the festival every single year and with being located right along Main Street, it is just a quick walk away from the beach!

“The parade and festival is a week later this year because of the nasty weather we had last Saturday. This Saturday will be much nicer,” Ed Piotrowski, one of our local television celebrities, expressed.

One of the things I remember about St. Patrick’s Day when I was little was when my brother and I would make leprechaun traps the night before in hopes of catching a leprechaun. My house was a complete mess, but it was hilarious!

St. Patrick’s Day is a fun celebration, which includes entertaining parades, festivals and delicious food.  Don’t forget to grab your green attire and avoid being pinched!