Saint Patrick’s Day and Custom Buttons oh how they Go Together.

  Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17, every year, with traditional Irish food and the color green. It is considered the saint’s religious feast day and the anniversary of Saint Patrick’s death in the fifth century. The Irish and Ireland have celebrated on March 17^th for over 1000 years. It is believed that Saint Patrick lived during the fifth century and is known as the patron saint of Ireland. He was born in Roman Britain, where he was kidnapped and sold into slavery where he was brought to Ireland at the age of 16. He then escaped slavery, but returned to Ireland where he was credited with bringing Christianity to the Irish people. In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day was traditionally a religious occasion. Until the 1970’s, there were laws mandating that the pubs had to be closed on March 17^th. In 1995, the government saw the opportunity to use St. Patrick’s Day as a way to drive tourism and showcase the Irish culture. Approximately 1 million people annually take part in St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Dublin. These celebrations feature parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions, and firework shows. The celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in America began in the mid-19^th century when most Irish immigrants in America were apart of the Protestant middle class. Close to a million poor Irish immigrants began to flood into America to escape starvation during the Great Potato Famine during 1845. When celebrating their heritage during St. Patrick’s Day, the media portrayed them in cartoons as drunk, violent monkeys. Despite the hatred from the American Protestant community, the Irish people realized their power in politics because of their rapidly growing numbers. Their voting block became known as the green machine, which became an important swing vote for political hopefuls. St. Patrick’s Day event were now a must-attend for political candidates. President Harry S. Truman attended a St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1948, which was a proud moment for the many Irish Americans whose ancestors had to fight stereotypes and racial prejudice to find acceptance in the New World. In the Everyone Loves Buttons shop we have a few clients gearing up for this coming St. Patrick’s Day with customized pinback buttons: Fox’s Restaurant – Oak Lawn, Fox’s Restaurant Orland Park, and Hennessy’s Tavern Redondo Beach. Some of the celebrations include a St. Patrick’s Week Special from Fox’s Restaurant & Pub Oak Lawn with Irish Step Dancers, the Funny Little People, and Face Painters.