Wednesday, March 17, 2021 will mark the 284th recorded time St. Patrick’s Day will be celebrated in the U.S. The first recorded St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the U.S. took place in Boston in 1737, when a group of elite Irish men came together to celebrate over dinner what they referred to as “the Irish saint.” 

The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years, according to Time.com. Although the holiday originally started as a Christian feast celebrating the life of St. Patrick and the spreading of Christianity to Ireland, today it is a day for celebrating all things Irish.

Something always associated with St. Patrick’s day is the shamrock. According to History.com, the shamrock, also called the “seamroy” by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the 17th century, the shamrock had become a symbol of Irish heritage and tradition.

Another fun fact about St. Patrick’s Day is the original Irish name for the leprechaun is “lobaircin,” meaning “small-bodied fellow.”

A St.Patrick’s Day favorite is corned beef and cabbage. This tradition began when “Irish immigrants living on New York City’s Lower East Side substituted corned beef for their traditional dish of Irish bacon to save money,” according to History.com. And to round out the traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal, many adults will add a pint of green beer. In fact, newsweek.com reported that an astounding 13 million pints of Guinness will be consumed globally on this Irish holiday.