5 St. Patrick's Day traditions that are fun for the whole family

No matter where you live or where you're from, everyone can be Irish for the day on March 17th! Here are some fun activities the whole family can enjoy this St. Patrick's Day.

Many people associate St. Patrick's Day with drinking beer, and lots of people like to observe the holiday with debauchery. However, there are plenty of family friendly St. Patrick's Day traditions that families can enjoy together.

One of the most popular ways for people to celebrate St. Patrick's Day is by going to or marching in a parade.

• Parades for the holiday happen in cities across the world, so do some research and attend the one nearest you.
• Make sure your whole family dresses in green!

Lots of people like to eat and drink on St. Patrick's Day, so get your family in the spirit by baking some green cookies or concocting a green beverage.

• Try making your favourite recipe for traditional sugar cookies and adding a few drops of green food colouring in the dough.
• You can also mix up a batch of St. Patrick's Day punch made from green sherbet, pineapple juice and ginger ale.

St. Patrick's Day is a day celebrating the patron saint of Ireland. It's traditional for families to learn Irish folk songs and sing them together on this day.

• Some great songs to learn include Danny Boy, Galway Bay, My Wild Irish Rose and When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.
• There are many online resources to look up the tunes and lyrics of these songs if you don't know them.

Everyone wants to enjoy the luck of the Irish, so why not hunt for lucky shamrocks with your family?

• Consider creating paper or cardboard shamrocks and hiding them around the house.
• Have your family hunt for shamrocks, and reward the person who finds the most with a prize.
• You can also consider taping the shamrocks to small bags of candy for your kids to enjoy when they're found.

One great St. Patrick's Day tradition to observe with your family is having a traditional, sit-down Irish meal.

• Traditionally, Irish people ate corned beef and cabbage for dinner on St. Patrick's Day, so you can get an authentic taste of Ireland by cooking up some corned beef and cabbage greens.
• If you have picky eaters, consider making other Irish options like shepherd's pie or chicken pot pie.