La fête de la Saint-Patrick est célébrée le 17 mars par les Irlandais du monde entier, expatriés ou descendants des nombreux émigrants, et sa popularité s’étend aujourd’hui vers les non-Irlandais qui participent aux festivités et se réclament « Irlandais d’un jour ».
C’est une fête religieuse et culturelle qui commémore l’anniversaire de la mort de Saint Patrick, considéré comme le saint patron des Irlandais (env. 387–461 ap J.C.), et la christianisation de l’Irlande.
Les célébrations font généralement appel à la couleur verte et à tout ce qui appartient à la culture irlandaise : la fête de la Saint-Patrick telle que pratiquée aujourd’hui voit les participants, qu’ils soient chrétiens ou pas, porter au moins un vêtement avec du vert, assister à des «parades», consommer des plats et des boissons irlandais.Saint Patrick’s Day or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, « the Day of the Festival of Patrick ») is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on 17 March, the anniversary of his death. It commemorates Saint Patrick (c. AD 387–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.
It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church. Saint Patrick’s Day was made an official feast day in the early seventeenth century, and has gradually become a celebration of Irish culture in general.
The day is generally characterised by the attendance of church services, wearing of green attire, public parades and processions, and the lifting of Lenten restrictions on eating, and drinking alcohol, which is often proscribed during the rest of the season.
Saint Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador and Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora, especially in places such as Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
