History and Traditions

March 17th is believed to be the day that St Patrick died, he spent much of his adult life as a Bishop and later on as a missionary where he had great success in the conversion of Ireland. By the seventh century he had become the patron saint of Ireland, and the foundations of Irish Christianity were attributed largely to him. Pious legend credits Patrick with banishing snakes from the island, though post-glacial Ireland never actually had snakes, one suggestion is that snakes referred to the serpent symbolism of the Druids of that time and place.

St Patrick's day is a national holiday in Ireland. Many of its citizens attend the numerous parades that are held country wide. The rest of the world also takes part in this Irish celebration with parades of their very own, none bigger than that held in the USA where some big cities dye their rivers green and everyone is Irish for a day. Three leaf clovers (aka, shamrocks), leprechauns and the traditional Irish flag are icons that represent the spirit of St. Patrick's Day. People in the U.S. wear and use the color green as much as possible on "St. Paddy's Day." School children started their own tradition of pinching kids not wearing green. Puddings, gelatin treats, pies and breads have become traditional desserts eaten on St. Patrick's Day.

Leprechauns

No one has been able to prove that these little (two feet tall), often bearded, men in green, with pointy, curly-toed shoes actually exist. Legends say that they make the shoes of the fairies in Ireland (which explains how Leprechauns get hooked up with such cool shoes). Leprechauns are rumored to have enough gold to buy new shoes for every child in the world (even without their employee discount). It is said that Leprechauns keep their gold in large pots at the end of rainbows. Rainbows are just beautiful enough and magical enough for a Leprechaun to store his gold there. If you can't find a Leprechaun's gold, some say you can catch a Leprechaun and kindly ask for some. Children have often looked for four-leaf clovers, which, according to tradition, bring good luck to their finders.

St. Patrick's Day in Ireland

In the recent past, Saint Patrick's Day was celebrated only as a religious holiday. It became a public holiday only in 1903. The life of Saint Patrick. is celebrated and taught to the masses. People learn from his teachings and try to do as much good for the people around them as Saint Patrick did in his adult life.

Fun Facts

• The tradition known as "drowning the shamrock" comes from the Irish superstition that if you leave a shamrock floating on the top of your drink and then drink it, you will have a year of good luck and good fortune.
• The first St. Patrick's Day parade was not in Ireland but in Boston in 1737. In New York, there have been parades every year since 1766 and they tend to be the biggest St. Patrick's Day parades in the world.
• If your hand has an itchy palm, you can look forward to good fortune. If your elbow itches, be prepared to downsize your home (or go to the doctor and get your elbow itch taken care of).
• All over the U.S. different cities celebrate in different ways. In Seattle, some streets are striped with green. In Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green.