Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Vancouver, B.C.
Photo by Kim Stallknecht/The Vancouver Sun
Level 2
Written by Nila Gopaul. Originally posted to The Westcoast Reader, March 2015
St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish holiday.
On this day, people celebrate
the life of St. Patrick.
St. Patrick was born in the year 387.
He brought Christianity to Ireland.
Experts believe St. Patrick
died on March 17, 461.
So this is the day the holiday is observed.
Watch Irish dancing and listen to Irish language on the next page.
St. Patrick’s Day parades
St. Patrick’s Day parades are held
in bigger cities, such as Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.
People from all cultures and ages
can watch pipe bands,
Irish and Scottish dancers,
colourful floats, and old cars pass by.
The colour green
On this day, you will see many people wearing green.
At many festivals and parties
green food and green drinks are served.
Green is one of the colors in Ireland’s flag.
Green is also the color of spring.
And it is the colour of the shamrock.
The shamrock is a symbol of Ireland.
The flag of Ireland
Photo – Public Domain
Shamrock or Irish clover
Photo – CC, Wikipedia
Listen to the Irish language:
Learn about a young girl who does Irish dancing.
Watch the famous Irish “Lord of the Dance” production
in Hyde Park, London: