Terry and Kim Kovel
King Features Syndicate
St. Patrickâs Day is celebrated each year on March 17 in the United States, but collectors found few postcards, greeting cards or objects to collect before 1900. The first St. Patrickâs Day parade is said to have taken place in 1601 in St. Augustine, Florida. But a major event is the New York City parade, which started in 1762.
St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Roman Britain and kidnapped in the late fourth century, when he was 14 years old. He was taken to Ireland as a slave, but he escaped in 431 A.D. and converted the Irish to Christianity. Parties, dances, drinking and celebrations started about 1600, and the observance has grown into an important celebration not only in Ireland but also in the U.S.