St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th, every year. The holiday has turned into a celebration of Irish vulture with special foods, music, dancing, parades, and a whole lot of green. But, did you know it was actually a day set up to commemorate Christianity in Ireland and the death of Saint Patrick. The Irish has observed it as a religious holiday for over 1000 years.
Here are a few fun facts about the celebration.
- St. Patrick’s Day is on March 17th, as that is the day Saint Patrick died.
- Ireland, North Ireland and Newfoundland in Canada, recognizes St. Patrick’s Day as a statutory holiday.
- Shamrocks were considered a sacred plant. Saint Patrick used shamrocks to teach people about the Holy Trinity and it is now the official flower of Ireland.
- It has been observed as a religious holiday in Ireland for over 1000 years.
- The odds of finding a four-leaf clover is 1 in 10,000 and is considered very lucky.
- The first St. Patrick’s Day Parade took place on 1737 in Boston, US, not in Ireland.
- St Patrick was born to Roman parents and was himself born in Roman Britain, not in Ireland.
- St Patrick’s given name was Maewyn Succat.
- Saint Patrick’s Day is also known as “Feast of Saint Patrick” and “Day of the Festival of Patrick.
- The color green has been associated with Saint Patrick’s Day since 1798. Before then, blue was the color featured for the holiday. It has become a tradition to pinch a person that isn’t wearing green that day.
- You will get pinched on this day for not wearing green. According to folklore, wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns.
This Saint Patrick’s Day we hope you enjoy your day, but whatever you do, don’t forget to wear green so you don’t get pinched!
Whitevalley Resource Center would like to thank our sponsors, The United Way, and Interior Health.
