The History Behind St. Patrick's Day

If you're one of the over 33 million Americans with Irish roots - the second-largest ethnic group of European ancestry in the country - this week is your week. In fact, March is your month.

St. Patrick's Day, an annual celebration that's rung in every 17th day of March, is a holiday that's rife with tradition. It all started with a gentleman named Patrick, who was a religious figure in the early 5th century and is credited with introducing Christianity to Ireland. Hundreds of years later, St. Patrick's Day is recognized all around the country and in several parts of the world through green attire, shamrocks, four-leaf clovers and a host of parades. In fact, the first St. Patrick's Day parade in the United States took place way back in 1762 in New York City.

Parades a plenty
Since then, most of the country's major metropolitan areas throw parades as well, along with a few other distinguishing ways to recognize the day. For example, in Chicago - a city with a heavy Irish-American presence - the Chicago River is bathed in green, a tradition that the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers have been doing for more than 40 years now. As you might imagine, it takes an awful lot of dye to turn the hulking body of water that familiar emerald color. The Plumbers use approximately 40 to 50 pounds of green vegetable dye, which naturally dissipates after several hours.

But that's nothing compared to the amount of beer that's consumed on St. Patrick's Day. Globally, approximately 4.2 billion pints of beer are downed by celebrants, according to market research firm Canadean.

If you drink, do so responsibly
When done responsibly, serving up some glasses of beer can be a fun way to celebrate with family and friends. It's when excessive amounts are consumed - combined with driving - that problems arise. Between 2009 and 2013, nearly 280 people have died in drunk driving accidents, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Virtually all of these incidents could have been avoided had motorists not gotten behind the wheel in an intoxicated state.

If you're hosting a St. Patrick's Day gathering this year and are serving beer, you may be held financially responsible for accidents where alcohol was a contributing factor. For information on the liability portion of your homeowners insurance policy and how this may protect you from these sorts of incidents, visit The Bateman Agency site or contact Donna Bateman at 908-271-2073.

Photo and article courtesy of Selective Insurance Group