With St. Patricks Day coming up and everyone desperately trying a piece of green clothing from their closet, you may be wondering “Why is St. Patricks day such a big deal?”

Well, to tell you the truth, I have a significant amount of Irish in my blood and I couldn't even tell you the exact reason as to why we celebrate this holiday.

After doing some research and asking my friends and family about the origin of St.Patty’s Day, I have found some pretty interesting results.

Contrary to my beliefs, St. Patricks Day is not just a day where you douse yourself in green, attend huge parades and look for four-leaf clovers. It is actually a day that celebrates, you guessed it… St. Patrick.

He was originally from Britain, which was part of the Roman Empire at the time (that's right, he wasn't even Irish!) After being commissioned to Ireland as an Apostle, he grew to become a patron saint who ministered Christianity in Ireland throughout the 5th century.

Now that you know the meaning behind St. Patricks Day and why we celebrate it here in America, here are ten more things that you probably didn't know about this festive holiday.

1. We should actually be wearing blue.

We would all be pinching St. Patrick if he tried to go out and celebrate on this day. His original color was “St. Patrick’s blue” and switched to green only after being linked to the Irish independent movement in the late 18th century.

2. The Irish take St. Patrick’s Day seriously.

It’s a national holiday in both Ireland and Northern Ireland, so yes, the Irish do in fact celebrate this day as well!

3. New York celebrates with one of the largest parades in the world!

Since 1762, over 250,000 marchers (the parade doesn't allow floats or cars) have gathered and paraded down Fifth Avenue on foot.

4. The shamrocks actually have meaning.

According to Irish legend, the saint used the three-leaf plant as a metaphor for the Holy Trinity when he was first introducing Christianity to Ireland. P.S. your chances of actually finding a lucky four-leaf clover is 1 in 10,000— start searching!

5. It used to be a dry holiday.

For most of the 20th Century, it was actually considered a strictly religious holiday, and all of the pubs were closed on this day. Only after 1970 were pubs allowed to open up, after it had been named a national holiday.

6. Your corned beef doesn't actually contain corn.

The classic Irish staple— corned beef and cabbage— was actually named after the large grains of salt that were historically used to cure meats.

7. There are no lady leprechauns!

In traditional Irish folk tales, there are actually no female Leprechauns, only little ole’ men.

8. “Erin go Bragh.”

When you're out celebrating this year and hear someone yell this saying, don't be alarmed! It originates from the Irish quote Eirinn go Brach, which roughly means “Ireland Forever”.

9. St. Maewyn’s Day?

According to Irish legend, St. Patrick’s original birth name Maewyn Succat, but he changed his name to Patricius after becoming a priest.

10. St. Patrick was a slave.

At the age of 16, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and forced to herd sheep. This ended up benefiting him because he was able to learn a lot about the people and culture of Ireland.

I hope this was helpful in showing you the story behind one of our favorite days. You may want to whip these facts out on March 17 when you want to impress your friends, plus these are a great way to quiz those Irish fanatics in your life and see if they really know their stuff. Wishing everyone a safe St. Patty’s Day from wherever you are in the world, and may you have the “luck of the Irish!” 🍀