Leprechaun pinches, green beer and shamrock parties–a simple way to describe the popular Saint Patrick’s Day celebrated annually on March 17 across the United States.
St. Patrick’s Day originated in Ireland to celebrate the nobleman St. Patrick. Many are unaware that St. Patrick was actually of British descent and was enslaved in Ireland. After many years of slavery, his freedom is celebrated on the day of his death, which is believed to be March 17.
In Ireland, people used to observe this day as a religious holiday and attended church. In the United States, St. Patrick’s Day was originally celebrated by the Protestant-Irish in Boston, Massachusetts. Today in America, it is not only Irish-Americans who celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. America publicly celebrated this day with the first official St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1762 in New York City.
Many other cities across the country still host annual parades in celebration of the day. According to a Niche article in Chicago, many people attend the parade to witness the dyeing of the Chicago River green. Another highly attended parade is hosted in Boston, where, according to the Niche article, almost 14 percent of the population associate themselves with an Irish background.
A common St. Patrick’s Day recipe is traditional Irish soda bread. According to Food.com, for a serving of about eight people, the recipe consists of the following:
Four cups of all-purpose flour
One teaspoon of baking powder
One teaspoon of salt
One to one-and-a-half cups of buttermilk
Directions for the Irish soda bread recipe:
- Start with heating the oven to 425 degrees.
- Spray non-stick spray over a baking sheet.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Stir in one cup of buttermilk until dough is firm.
- Add more buttermilk until dough holds together in a ball.
- Pat the dough into an 8-inch flattened round loaf.
- Place the loaf on the sprayed baking sheet and slash a deep “X” shape into the top of the loaf with a knife.
- Bake at 425 degrees for about 45 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown.