How to throw a safe St. Patrick’s Day party in 2021
If your kids are bugging you about hosting a St. Patrick’s Day party this year, it may be time to start brainstorming creative and safe ideas for you, your family and friends.
Set up a neighborhood St. Patrick’s Day treat train ̶ Talk to your neighbors about creating a St. Patrick’s Day treat train, which is an activity where tables are set up at the end of driveways and kids walk or ride bikes to each table and pick up a treat. Have your kids dress up in green and adventure throughout the neighborhood to try the different treats everyone makes.
Host a virtual party parade throughout your home ̶ Interested in celebrating with your out-of-state family or friends? Set up a time on March 17 to catch up while sharing memories of past St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Then, march around your house having a parade of your own--virtually.
Make a traditional Irish meal for dinner ̶ Have you ever tried corned beef and cabbage? My Fearless Kitchen offers great instructions for how to make corned beef for a delicious and festive meal. This gives you the chance to try something new in the kitchen and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!
Do not forget to wear your green ̶ No matter where you are working or where your kids are that day, make sure everyone in your household is wearing something green. The bright green color will brighten your day and help you remember that March 17 is a day to celebrate joy and happiness no matter where you are.
What can I do on St. Patrick’s Day in 2021?
People all over the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with green traditions, fun and laughter among family and friends. When planning activities to do on St. Patrick’s Day for which St. Patrick’s Day traditions, you can continue while remaining safe, you may have to think creatively. If you, your family or your friends’ tradition is to run a 5k on St. Patrick’s Day in a city near you but the race isn’t happening this year, get a few friends together and host a social distanced 5k outside in your neighborhood. Make it as official as you can by creating number tags to go on the front or back of your shirts while running.
Instead of going to your favorite parade this year, have a parade of your own. Invite your close family over or have the kids around the neighborhood host a socially distanced St. Patrick’s Day parade. Offer bagged goodies of their favorite green candy, food or treats.
St. Patrick’s Day history
Each year, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17. This year, St. Patrick’s Day may look a bit different -- no large parades with thousands of people in attendance. No annual runs that host hundreds of runners side-by-side in the name of this wonderful holiday and St. Patrick’s Day parties may be limited to only family and close friends with masks and social distancing. But these changes don’t change the deep history and tradition behind the holiday.
The Irish have celebrated St. Patrick’s Day for more than 1,000 years. Did you know that St. Patrick was not originally from Ireland? He was born and raised in Great Britain. At an early age, St. Patrick was captured and taken to Ireland. He is now known as the patron saint of Ireland.1
Although St. Patrick’s Day originated in Ireland, the U.S. recorded the first St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1762, which took place in New York City. Today, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated with many fun traditions family and friends can participate in during this holiday.
Top 5 fun facts about St. Patrick’s Day that you need to know
If you thought you knew every St. Patrick’s Day fun fact you may be wrong. There are many fun facts that you may be surprised about. Here are the top 5 fun facts about St. Patrick’s Day:
The St. Patrick’s Day original color used to be blue instead of green!
The famous green river in Chicago was first dyed green in 1962. That is almost 60 years of dyeing the river.
Right here in Indiana, the 24th Annual Hoosier Lottery Greening of the Canal in Indianapolis will be held on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. The event will be live-streamed on the Hoosier Lottery Facebook Page since spectators are not allowed due to the pandemic.
The shamrock, a three-leaf clover, is the national flower of Ireland. Called “seamroy” by the Celts, it is considered a harbinger of spring. Though St. Patrick is known for driving all the snakes from Ireland, scientists have shown that Ireland has never been home to any snakes.
Although St. Patrick's Day is celebrated all over the U.S. now, the first official celebration in the country took place in Boston.
No matter where and how you plan your St. Patrick’s Day activities this year, remember these fun tips and traditions that you can take part in this 2021.
1. History.com Editors. (2020, March 9). History of St. Patrick’s Day. History. https://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/history-of-st-patricks-day
*The information in this article was compiled from a variety of sources and is intended to provide helpful tips only