St. Patrick's Day is observed annually on March 17th. This date commemorates the death of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Grammatically, the core subject of the inquiry, "St. Patrick's Day," functions as a proper noun, which is a name used for an individual person, place, or organization, spelled with an initial capital letter. The entire keyword phrase "when is st patrick's day" is an interrogative clause seeking temporal information about this specific proper noun.
The date of March 17th was established as an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century. It is a public holiday in several jurisdictions, including the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. In liturgical calendars, if March 17th falls during Holy Week, the observance of St. Patrick's Day may be moved to a different date by church authorities. However, secular celebrations almost universally remain on March 17th regardless of the day of the week it falls on. When the date occurs on a weekend, the associated public holiday is often observed on the following Monday.
In practice, while the official date is fixed, public festivities such as parades and festivals may occur on the weekend closest to March 17th to maximize public participation. Therefore, the designated date is consistently March 17th, marking a specific point in the calendar for both religious and cultural remembrance, even as the timing of related secular events may vary for logistical reasons.
