SHARON, Pa. (WKBN) – Today, it seems like everyone put on some green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and they didn’t let gray skies put a damper on their fun. But why and how did St. Patrick’s Day come to be? We share some of the history and fun of the holiday.
We all associate St. Patrick’s Day with corned beef, lucky four-leaf clovers and, of course, a good time. But St. Patrick is actually the one responsible for the holiday we celebrate today. We headed out to ask people if they knew the history behind their celebration.
“I really don’t know that much except the Irish like to party,” said Kelly Stumple.
Green beer was flowing at Quaker Steak in Sharon as people celebrated in a sea of Guinness and green outfits. For some, their knowledge of the saint is limited by what they learned in elementary school.
“St. Patrick, you know, he kind of helped discover Christianity or help… you know, whatever he did. He’s a good guy,” said Ashton Susen.
Father Kevin Peters with St. Patrick Parish in Youngstown explained that St. Patrick was responsible for spreading Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century.
“He was a missionary that brought the good news of salvation to the people of Ireland — that’s what we hope to imitate,” Fr. Peters said.
Even if you’re not celebrating any Irish heritage, on St. Patrick’s Day, everyone is part of the fun.
“We’re celebrating a great group of friends and the good heritage of the Irish community and everyone’s so friendly. I mean, everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s one of the best things,” said Randy Schneider.
Fr. Peters says the day is a reminder of the work St. Patrick did and a way to honor his legacy.
“One of the strongest characteristics of our parish community is this missionary spirit that we have within the neighborhood,” Fr. Peters said.
Some we spoke with say they’re grateful to St. Patrick for a fun holiday spent with friends and family.
“Thank you. It’s a whole lot of fun to be out here on St. Patrick’s Day even though the weather’s not the nicest,” said Mya McCarthy.
