The first St. Patrick’s Day as an official church feast day was established in 1631, with the celebration set on 17 March, the traditional date of Saint Patrick’s death.

Quick Scoop: The very first St. Patrick’s Day

  • Saint Patrick’s Day marks the feast of Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, on 17 March each year.
  • The Catholic Church created an official Feast of Saint Patrick in 1631, which is when we can first talk about a formal “St. Patrick’s Day” on the calendar.
  • The date was chosen because tradition holds that Saint Patrick died on 17 March, around the year 461.

So if you’re asking “when was the first St. Patrick’s Day?” , in the sense of a recognized church feast, the answer is: 1631 , celebrated on 17 March.

A tiny bit of story

Picture early 17th‑century Ireland: church authorities are standardizing feast days and, among them, they officially assign a special day to honor Patrick, the missionary credited with bringing Christianity to the island.

That decision effectively creates the first “St. Patrick’s Day” as we’d recognize it today: a marked religious feast on 17 March that later evolves into the global cultural celebration of Irish identity and heritage.

TL;DR: The first official St. Patrick’s Day feast was put on the church calendar in 1631 , celebrated every year on 17 March.

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