Saint Patrick’s Day — From Ireland with Love

Saint Patrick’s Day (another name is Feast of Saint Patrick) is celebrated on March 17, the death date of the saint. This day is dedicated to St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

Of course, Saint Patrick’s Day is not an official holiday in the UAE. But as this country welcomes all important holidays from around the world, this celebration of everything Irish is widely known and popular among its residents.

On March 17, hundreds of sights in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are painted emerald green — Burj Al Arab, Yas Viceroy, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, and many others. There are many places in Dubai where you can spend a day celebrating Saint Patrick’s. Number one choices for that, of course, would be the Irish-themed venues, like Fibber Magee’s, Irish Village or McGettigan’s Irish Bar.

And even you are not Irish, you are still more than welcome to enjoy Saint Patrick’s day with your friends and family. All that is needed is a good mood, great company and (optionally) some green accessories to put on.

Interesting facts about Saint Patrick’s Day

• Originally, St. Patrick’s Day was Ireland’s holiday only. And during its celebration, there were no special events. Over time, this day gained wide popularity thanks to the Irish people who emigrated to the United States. Yearning for the homeland they began to celebrate it in a big way. On 17 March 1762, the first parade took place.
• Initially, the color of Saint Patrick’s Day was blue, not green. On old drawings, Saint Patrick is dressed in blue clothes. But with time the color changed to emerald green, widely known today.

• Thanks to this holiday, many people think the clover is a symbol of Ireland. But the real symbol of the country is a golden harp.
• Today many people around the world celebrate this holiday with alcohol, especially with beer. But initially this day was exclusively religious and alcohol was prohibited. Today, this holiday has become also a cultural event, not only religious.