We are all familiar with the basic traditions of St. Patrick's Day: green, Leprechauns, parties, Irish, shamrocks, gold, etc. Most people don't know all the history and facts behind their St. Patty's day celebrations, but maybe at your party on Tuesday, or even in years to come, you could impress someone with your knowledge of this holiday!
What is the deal with the green? Green basically seems like the most typical "Irish" color. It is one of the three colors on the Irish flag, Ireland itself is filled with vast green landscape, shamrocks are green, there are a plethora of reasons that green can be worn. Also, March is a time for spring. "In like a lion, out like a lamb." We associate green with springtime as everything starts to bloom.
Who is St. Patrick anyways? He started what is now an international festival. March 17th was celebrated with a feast for St. Patrick, a patron saint of Ireland. The date was chosen because it is believed to be the date of St. Patrick's death.
An explanation for the symbol of the shamrock: Legend has it that St. Patrick used the three leaves of the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. Three was a sacred number in Ireland. At one point the shamrock was to be worn as a badge on your lapel on the feast day.
Another symbol, the Leprechaun, is also sometimes known as a Celtic fairy. Leprechauns usually look like a small old shoemaker and legend has it that they have hidden pots of gold. If caught, a Leprechaun could be forced to reveal his hidden treasure. Leprechauns are a part of Irish folklore.
St. Patrick's Day celebrations grew in America as more and more Irish immigrants came to the states. Only then did the parades and parties explode into what they are today rather than a feast.
