7 Fun Facts About St. Patrick's Day
Mar 02, 2016
As we roll into March, we can look forward to a handful of fun holidays. The first day of Spring is just around the corner, with Easter a week after that. But before either of those come around, you’d do well to remember that Thursday, March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day - if you don’t, prepared to get pinched! To help keep this fun and festive holiday fresh in your mind, take a gander at some of the fun facts below.
- St. Patrick, despite being Ireland’s patron saint, was not actually Irish himself! He’s just responsible for bringing Christianity to Ireland.
- Did you know that leprechauns are a type of fairy? They’re the shoemakers of the fairy kingdom.
- You might associate the four-leaf clover with St. Patrick’s Day as a symbol of luck, but the three-leaf clover was actually used by St. Patrick as a teaching tool to represent the Holy Trinity of Christianity.
- St. Patrick’s color used to be blue! Try that excuse next time you forget to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day, and see if it can save you in a pinch.
- Despite having its origins in Ireland, where it’s a national holiday, St. Patrick’s Day is heavily celebrated here in the US. Chicago even dyes the Chicago River green in celebration of this holiday.
- Actually, the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day with parades and drinking - as we know it now - is all American. More specifically, these kinds of festivities were a tradition begun by 18th-century Irish-American immigrants to celebrate their heritage. Go figure!
- Did you know that this holiday is actually the anniversary of St. Patrick’s death in 461 AD? Here’s hoping he enjoyed a good party!
Feeling hyped for the holiday, now that you’ve got some knowledge tucked away to share over a pint? Perfect! Stock up on some green gear and some Irish-themed accessories, and you’ll be ready to go.
Posted by: Alicia Milligan
