Is St. Patrick’s Day a Public Holiday?
St. Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in the United Kingdom according to Holidays 2023. Those who are not aware of its date, should keep reading this to find out some interesting and detailed insights about this day.
As the name suggests, this particular day is dedicated to Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland and it is observed as a bank holiday in Northern Ireland.
His traditional death anniversary is commenced by the people of Ireland, by celebrating this event. Contemporary beliefs state that the counterpart of this festival exists in the celebration of Saint George Day, which marks
the death anniversary of a Saint of the same name. Let us move on to some interesting insights about this day.
St. Patrick’s Day History
The facts associated with St Patrick’s Day history have already been mentioned. This day is marked as the traditional death anniversary of Saint Patrick, who is fondly remembered as the patron saint of Ireland.
He was born in mainland Britain, but sources state that he was forcefully kidnapped at a very young age of 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. He ultimately broke free the chains of slavery and returned to Ireland in 432 with the
aim of converting the Irish folks into Christians.
By the time he died on 17 March in 462, the establishment of many monasteries, churches and schools were credited to him. Many legends are also popular about his life, one of them being that he drove snakes away from Ireland.
Hence, it has been believed that there have been no snakes in Ireland ever since the era of the Ice Age.
Why is St Patrick’s Day Celebrated in the UK?
The main reason behind the celebration of this festival has already been mentioned above. So, the 17th of March is taken into account as his death anniversary, which is why it is marked as St Patrick’s Day.
As the Irish folks regard him as their patron saint, his death anniversary is celebrated with great vigour and gaze all over Northern Ireland and some other parts of the UK, which consist of the Irish diaspora.
For instance, many cities in England also consist of a major flux of the Irish population. Naturally, they do get involved in the celebrations of the Feast of Saint Patrick. Over all these years, its popularity has
increased all over England.
The extent to which people celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day says a lot about their religious and political affiliations. Generally, those natives who nurture the belief that Northern Ireland should remain a part of the UK,
do not get engaged in the celebrations of Saint Patrick’s Day. London hosts majestic Patrick’s Day celebrations.
All of these instances only strengthen the hint that one doesn’t need to be Irish necessarily to organize the celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day.
Public Life on St Patrick’s Day in UK
St Patrick’s Day happens to be a public holiday in Northern Ireland. In England, Scotland and Wales, this day remains a normal working day. For some people, this is a day to celebrate, while the others regard it as a normal working day.
Most organisations on St. Patrick’s Day in Northern Ireland remain closed. Public events like parades and marches add some extra colours to the celebrations of Saint Patrick’s Day.
Moving on, let us talk about the special highlights taking place on this bank holiday in Northern Ireland, and also the entire UK.
1. The colour green is especially associated with this day, although the original colour attributed to Saint Patrick was blue.
2. Many religious services and feasts are hosted by the churches in Northern Ireland.
3. All the Irish and the non-Irish community sport a green look. Some are even seen donning a shamrock look, which happens to be the national plant of Ireland.
4. Corned Beef and Cabbage are mostly witnessed food items on this day.
5. Even beer is also dyed green sometimes, so as to follow the colour code.
6. London hosts a weekend long festival on the occasion of St Patrick’s Day which begins on Friday and comes to an end on Sunday.
7. The St. Patrick’s Day parade organized in London is one of the most talked about celebrations of this day, which originates from the Piccadilly circle on the afternoon of Sunday. It also includes marching bands from Ireland.
8. Massed pipers perform at the parade organized in Birmingham.
St Patrick’s Day Observances
| Year | Weekday | Date | Name | Holiday Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Sun | 17 March | St Patrick’s Day | Local Bank Holiday |
| 2020 | Tue | 17 March | St Patrick’s Day | Local Bank Holiday |
| 2021 | Wed | 17 March | St Patrick’s Day | Local Bank Holiday |
| 2022 | Thu | 17 March | St Patrick’s Day | Local Bank Holiday |
| 2023 | Fri | 17 March | St Patrick’s Day | Local Bank Holiday |
| 2024 | Sun | 17 March | St Patrick’s Day | Local Bank Holiday |
| 2025 | Mon | 17 March | St Patrick’s Day | Local Bank Holiday |
FAQs
1. How did St Patrick’s Day become a drinking holiday?
St. Patrick’s Day is marked as the traditional death anniversary of Saint Patrick. The Christian individuals held an incredible dining experience for which Lenten nourishment and liquor limitations were incidentally evacuated, which is the reason drinking has gotten synonymous with the occasion.
2. Do Scots celebrate St Patrick’s Day?
Scotland has its own supporter holy person and doesn’t have to celebrate other people’s.
3. Is St Patrick’s Day a holiday?
Yes, St. Patricks Day is a public holiday in the UK but in England, Scotland and Wales, this day remains a normal working day.
4. Is St Patrick’s Day Always on Sunday?
St. Patrick’s Day is fixed on March 17, however may once in a while be moved by Catholic Church specialists. This occurred in 1940, with the goal that the festivals would not fall on Palm Sunday, and in 2008 to avoid Holy Monday, the last Monday before Easter Sunday.
5. What color should you not wear on St Patrick’s Day?
Green color is especially associated with this day, although the original colour attributed to Saint Patrick was blue.
St Patrick’s Day Celebrations in Other Countries
From the above information you are still confused about When is Saint Patrick’s Day in 2023? So the date is March 17, Friday.
So, these were the major highlights and the necessary information on St Patrick’s Day celebrations in the UK. We hope you like this article of ours. Thankyou for connecting with us!!