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St. Patrick’s Day is the biggest Irish holiday celebration. In fact, it is celebrated all around the world. On this day many people celebrate it by wearing green and drinking a lot of beer. However, do you known the history and meaning behind the day? Check out the top 10 St Patrick’s Day facts to learn more.
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10. St. Patrick’s Day Wasn’t Always Green
One of the most interesting St Patrick’s Day facts is that green wasn’t always the color to the day. In fact, the original St. Patrick’s Day color was actually blue! The color green only became associated with the holiday after the 17th or 18th century due to several reasons including: Ireland’s nickname – “The Emerald Isle”, the Irish Independence movement, the green in the Irish flag, and shamrocks.[1]ProFlowers – The 15 Most Interesting St. Patrick’s Day Fact
9. Leprechauns and St. Patrick’s Day
According to tradition, you actually have to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day due to leprechauns! If you don’t you risk getting pinched by them.[2]National Geographic Kids – ST. PATRICK’S DAY According to legend, the color green makes you invisible to leprechauns.
8. Saint Patrick Wasn’t Irish!
One of the most interesting St Patrick’s Day facts is that St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish! While he may have become famous for introducing Christianity to Ireland in 432, he didn’t originally come from the island. In fact, he was actually born in Scotland or Wales to Roman parents.[3]mental floss – 15 Things You Might Not Know About St. Patrick’s Day
7. First Celebration of St. Patrick’s Day Was Actually in the US
St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish celebration. However, one of the most interesting facts about St. Patrick’s Day is that it wasn’t actually celebrated in Ireland first! In fact, the first recorded celebration of the Feast of Saint Patrick took place in 1737 in the United States by Irish immigrants. In addition, in 1762, the first official St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in New York City.[4]kids konnect – Saint Patrick’s Day Fact & Worksheets Today it is one of the largest in the world!
6. Chicago on St. Patrick’s Day
One of the most famous St. Patrick’s Day traditions takes place in Chicago. Each year, the Plumbers Local 110 union dyes the river Kelly green with several tons of green dye.[5]WorldStrides – 9 Interesting St. Patrick’s Day Fact This causes the river to stay green for up to 5 hours!
5. Shamrocks and St. Patrick’s Day
One of the most interesting St Patrick’s Day facts comes from its association with the shamrock. In fact, according to history, Saint Patrick first used shamrocks to teach the pagans in Ireland about the Holy Trinity.[6]theFACTfile – 30 Amazing Facts About St. Patrick’s Day The shamrock has become such an important part of Irish culture ever since that not only does it represent St. Patrick’s Day, it is also the official flower of Ireland.
4. Why March 17th?
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th, because it marks the day of his death in 461 in Saul, County Down.[7]Ireland – 9 St Patrick’s Day Fact St. Patrick is buried on the grounds of Down Cathedral in Downpatrick. For those who still celebrate the original meaning of St Patrick’s Day, March 17th is a traditional day representing spiritual renewal.
3. Did St Patrick really banish snakes?
One of the most famous legends about St. Patrick is that he banished all of the snakes from Ireland. However, one of the most interesting St Patrick’s Day facts is that he might not have had such a hard time doing this. In fact, according to fossil records, Ireland may not have ever been home to any snakes or reptiles due both to the cold climate during the Ice Age as well as it being surrounded by the ocean, making it impossible for any snakes to get there.[8]National Museum of Ireland Rather, many modern historians and scholars think that the “snakes” that St. Patrick drove away were more likely metaphorical and represented the pagan religions.
2. Irish Americans
One of the biggest reasons that St. Patrick’s Day exists today is due to Irish Americans. In fact, they represent a large portion of the American population. For example, below are several Irish American St Patrick’s Day facts that should be of interest:
- There are 34.7 million people in the US who have Irish ancestry. This number is more than 7 times bigger than Ireland’s actual population.
- Irish is the 2nd biggest reported ancestry in the US behind German.
- 11% of the US population has Irish ancestry. However, in Massachusetts that number jumps up to 22%!
- In addition, Irish is the most common ancestry in 54 counties, most of which are located in the Northeast.
- Irish is among the top 5 ancestries in every state except Hawaii and New Mexico. In fact, in Delaware, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, it is the leading ancestry.
- Currently, there are about 144,000 US residents who were originally born in Ireland.[9]history – ST. PATRICK’S DAY FACT
1. St. Paddy’s or St. Patty’s?
Many people shorten St. Patrick’s Day to St. Patty’s Day. However, the correct form is actually St. Paddy’s Day. This is because Patty is actually the nickname for the woman’s name Patrician. In Irish, Patrick’s name is actually spelt ‘Pádraig’ with a “d” and not a “t”.[10]spotahome – 11 Fun Facts About St. Patrick’s Day Therefore, it is most appropriate to use a “d” when shortening St Patrick’s Day.
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