ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Many Irish people live in the United States. On March 17, St. Patrick's Day is their holiday.

St. Patrick's Day is not a national holiday in the United States. But it is a special day. Many people in the United States celebrate it. They remember the Irish people in the United States and Ireland. Ireland has a lot of green grass. So green is the color of Ireland. Many people wear green on St. Patrick's Day. Ireland also has a lot of shamrocks. They are small plants with three leaves. A shamrock with four leaves brings good luck. Many people wear shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day.

On St. Patrick's Day, there are parades. People sing, dance, and eat Irish food. Some people make green drinks. In Chicago, they color the river green! Big cities with a lot of Irish people, such as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, have huge St. Patrick's Day parades. The people in the parades wear Irish clothes. Bands play songs about Ireland.St. Patrick's Day honors St. Patrick. He was a priest in Ireland. He helped the Irish learn about Christianity.

Vocabulary notes

Designate-назначенный

per year-в год

feast-праздник, пир

pageantry-великолепие, пышная церемония

merriment-веселье

grave-могила

lay a wreath-возлагать венок

rifle-ружье

prayer-молитва

reflection-размышления

respectively-соответственно

holy-святой

subvert-искажать

outrageous-возмутительный

evil spirits-злые духи

Witch-ведьма

Broomstick-метла

Miser-скряга

Lantern-фонарик

Carve-вырезать

Scary-страшный, жуткий

Turnip-репа

Beets-свекла

Pumpkin-тыква

Dissenting-несогласие

Rough-трудный

Harvest-урожай

Sacrifice-жертвовать

Blessings-благословения

Commemorate-увековечивать

Anniversary-годовщина

Dying-окрашивание

Shamrock-клевер