Have you noticed things are starting to get a little greener around you? Could it just be that winter is starting to end? Could it just be that you somehow ended up in the Emerald City? Try Emerald Isle! St. Patrick’s Day is soon upon us this year, with people going out and celebrating all that is green and Irish however they see fit!
To get you into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit, we’ve compiled a list of some of the funniest memes to help you laugh like a leprechaun! They like to laugh, you see. Don’t ask how I know. They’ll come for me if I answer you.
The holiday falls on March 17, the traditional death date of St. Patrick, celebrated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Church and the Anglican Communion, especially the Church of Ireland. Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was originally from Roman Britain. When he was around 16, he was captured by Irish pirates and taken to be a slave in Ireland. After six years, he eventually escaped and returned to his family. Becoming a cleric, however, he later returned to Ireland, eventually rising to the position of bishop. By the seventh century, he was already viewed as the patron saint of Ireland.
In Ireland, the holiday is an official public holiday and is sometimes viewed as kind of a national day. Many cities, towns and villages within the country celebrate by hosting their own festivals and parades. While not a legal holiday in the United States, except in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, it was slowly but surely adopted as a nationwide celebration of Irish and Irish American culture, celebrated as early as the 18th century. Even George Washington had some respect for the holiday, allowing camped in Morristown, New Jersey, in 1780, he allowed his troops on holiday on March 12 to show respect for the Irish fight for independence, later becoming known as “The Saint Patrick’s Day Encampment of 1780.”
Throughout the United States, various cities host their own festivals and parades. In fact, New Orleans, the largest entry port for Irish immigrants, hosts parades right after Mardi Gras, sometimes even reusing the floats! Even Americans who don’t have the opportunity to celebrate with lavish parties and such can celebrate in one simple way: wearing green!
After all, those who forget on this day of days are just asking to be pinched. Don’t waste the one day when it is easy being green! Unless, of course, you are a snake!
