A day synonymous with all things green and rainbows couldn’t be anything but a good time, right? Right! St. Patricks day started in Ireland, luckily it’s one of the cultural practices we inherited from the UK.
Belize as a people never pass up a reason to have a good time, and St. Patt’s is no exception. Every year on the 17th of March pockets of Belize get washed in merriment and more green.
Quick facts
Lá Fhéile Pádraig, Irish for: the day of the feast of Patrick, is a religious holiday in Ireland held on the death day of St. Patrick who is best known as the patron saint of Ireland. The holiday was made official as a Catholic feast day in the 1700s, about 1240 years after the passing of the titular saint.
St. Patrick himself is widely known for bringing Christianity to Ireland and the holiday has since become as much about Irish culture as the saint it’s named after.
Tradition is range from public parades to wearing the color green or shamrocks. Why shamrocks? We’re glad you asked.
St. Patrick famously used the little three leaved plant as an analogy to explain the Christian holy Trinity and it has remained symbolic of him and the holiday since the early days.
Later on, Irish migrants took the holiday along with them when setting up colonies and cities on this side of the world and it’s considered a public holiday in Ireland as well as places with a large enough Irish diaspora. Places like former British colonies, Argentina, Switzerland and more celebrate with big parties to honor the day.
More Green
You won’t find many shamrocks around Belize, so any you do find are lucky, whether or not they’re equipped with that fourth leaf. What you will find, though, is lush foliage most everywhere. Even in cities and towns, locals love their lush landscapes. Edging out of the urban areas, there are many public and private natural reserves dotted around the country.
If you’ve got a penchant for adventure, and forgot to wear green – visiting one for a hike or swim might save you from getting pinched for ignoring tradition.
Festivities
Interestingly, what was once exclusively a religious holiday has evolved into much more than that. Edging on to the evening on St. Patricks day is when the real lovers of the holiday come out.
You can find St Patricks day themed menus and drinks across town, and wherever those are, you’re guaranteed to see a crowd in green having some good ole’ fun.
I mean, check out these cool green themed things you can have
Fun fact about these is you don’t have to wait until March 17th each year. Spot majestic wildlife in the iconic green colour! Check out the Emerald Toucanet below.
Of course, when in doubt, why not enjoy a piece of Ireland that can be found pretty much across the globe. Yup, we’re talking about Guinness seemingly quintessential for St Patrick’s day party goers – if they’re riled up about it we think you should be too!
Much more Belize
We’ve checked a few times, sadly we haven’t found any leprechauns, at least not lately. Does the absence of a leprechaun means no pot of gold at the end of the tunnel? We’d argue that no. If you follow a rainbow to its end anywhere in Belize, we assure a golden experience, and probably one that will be almost exclusive to you.
Belize is filled with many secret ‘secret’ swimming, hiking, and hangout spots that are just hidden enough to wake the adventurer in you.
Follow the rainbow this St. Patrick’s day, your pot o’ gold could be right here or email us at the [email protected] to plan your Belizean vacation.