Saint Patrick’s Day 2023 celebrations are turning out to be a wild affair for people around the world, especially in New Zealand. As per New Zealand media reports, a man was arrested recently after he ran naked around a school during its lunch break. The man was reportedly intoxicated and he started to run naked at Dunedin North Intermediate at noon on Friday, with the man entering the North Rd grounds and removing his clothes. "We are working out the extent of his actions before deciding on what action we will take in regards to that,” Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond was quoted by a New Zealand media portal. Furthermore, the report suggested that the man was also under the influence of drugs and therefore he was arrested and charged with committing an “indecent act”. Now, the question arises what is Saint Patrick’s Day and why the people around the world opt for wild celebration on this day? The answer lies below-
What is Saint Patrick’s Day?
Saint Patrick’s Day is a cultural and religious celebration in honour of Saint Patrick — the foremost patron saint of Ireland. It is observed every year on March 17, the traditional death date of the saint. It is observed as a public holiday in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and many other countries around the world including the United States, Canada, and Australia. The celebrations of St Patrick’s Day are marked by parades, music, dance, and the wearing of green attire.
Green holds a great significance in terms of Saint Patrick's Day. The colour green, in general, is strongly associated with St Patrick’s Day for several reasons. Ireland’s nickname is the ‘Emerald Isle’ due to its lush, green landscape, and therefore green is considered the national colour of Ireland. Also, legend has it that St Patrick used a shamrock, which is green, to explain the Holy Trinity to the people of Ireland. Let's turn the wheel back into the 18th century. Green became associated with Irish nationalism and the country’s struggle for independence from British rule. As such, apart from dyeing the Chicago River green, people all over the world wear green clothing and accessories on this day to show their Irish pride and celebrate the holiday.
In USA, particularly in Chicago, the colour green is of great significance. The city's longstanding tradition to celebrate this holiday is to dye the Chicago River green. The tradition is believed to have been started in 1962 when the local plumbers’ union poured a small amount of green dye into the river, which turned the water a bright green colour. Since then, it has become an annual event in the city of Chicago on St. Patrick’s Day.
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The dyeing of the Chicago river is usually done early morning before the St Patrick’s Day parade with the help of a boat, known as the ‘dye boat’, which travels along the river and pours a secret formula of vegetable dye into the river. The dye used to colour the river is said to be environmentally safe and is typically used in very small amounts, so it doesn’t harm the river’s ecosystem.
Today is the DAY! ☘️ One of Chicago's most iconic traditions takes place this morning at 10am: the dyeing the Chicago River green for St. Patrick's Day.
— Choose Chicago (@ChooseChicago) March 11, 2023
P.S. Don't worry, the green coloring is completely safe and naturally dissolves in a few days. pic.twitter.com/R8pisuWj12