Remember when you were in elementary school and everyone had to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day unless they wanted to be pinched? Did you ever wonder what this holiday was all about and why you were wearing green? The simple answer is that St. Patrick’s Day is a Catholic holy day of obligation that falls on the anniversary of the death of Ireland’s patron saint in the fifth century. In Ireland, Catholics traditionally attended church and enjoyed a feast afterwards. Since St. Patrick is believed to have used a three-leafed clover to represent the parts of the holy trinity, the shamrock and its bright green color became associated with the celebration. Today, the holiday is widely celebrated–with or without religious obligations.

One important St. Patrick’s Day tradition is the parade. Surprisingly, the original St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in New York City and not in Ireland. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. The noisy, music-filled parade was a chance for the soldiers to connect with their Irish roots and fellow Irishmen. Over time, Irish patriotism among American immigrants grew—and the traditional parade evolved to include bagpipes, drums, and dancing. By 1848, several New York Irish aid societies decided to unite to form one New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Today, that parade is the world ’s oldest civilian parade and the largest in the United States. Each year, nearly three million people line the one-and-a-half mile parade route to watch the procession, which has 150,000 participants and lasts more than five hours from start to finish.

If you are wondering what there is to do in San Diego on St. Paddy’s day, grab your shamrock and check out the festivities over at the St. Patricks Day Parade