DCC Au Pairs having St. Patrick’s Day fun! (Photo: Scott Montgomery)
St. Patrick’s Day is on March 17th and has been celebrated in the US since 1737. St. Patrick is said to have given a sermon from a hilltop that drove all the snakes from Ireland. Traditional icons of the day are the shamrock, leprechaun, the color green and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Celebration Ideas
Washington, DC commemorates St. Patrick’s Day every year with a variety of festivals and parades held in the weeks leading up to the holiday. Here are some ways you can celebrate:
- Celebrate the season at a one of the St. Patrick’s Day parades in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
- Ireland on the Wharf: Celebrate the beauty and tradition of the Emerald Isle with bagpipers, Irish dancers, live music, and plenty of family-friendly activities on March 10 at DC’s Southwest Waterfront
- Au Pair in America’s St. Patrick’s Day pinboard has lots of creative suggestions for crafts, baking, and other fun ideas.
- Take your picture in front of a green fountain! The White House was designed by Irish architect James Hoban. Traditionally, the White House fountain has been dyed green on March 17th in celebration of the holiday.
On March 15, 2018, the fountain on the South Lawn of the White House turned green in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)