We’d like to wish all of our readers a Happy Saint Patrick’s Day. If you’re like most of our friends, you’re one of the 94 million people who are wearing green today and your day will end only after you’ve stopped by an Irish Pub or two and are – dare we say it – tipsy? In anticipation of the tipsy part, we thought we’d help make those slurred drunken words you’re sure to be screaming out by night’s end sound almost impressive when recapping any of these cool facts about St. Patty’s Day.
- St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17th because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17th in the year 461 AD.
- St. Patrick was not Irish but actually of Scottish descent
- It is considered lucky to find a four leaf clover on St. Patrick’s Day and Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.
- The tradition of eating corned beef and cabbage is solely an American invention – the Irish don’t actually eat it to celebrate the day. Likewise, many of the local pubs are closed on St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland.
- Shamrocks are the national flower of Ireland. In Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, people traditionally wear a small bunch of shamrocks on their jackets or caps. Children wear orange, white and green badges, and women and girls wear green ribbons in their hair.
- It is estimated that 34 million Americans have Irish ancestry. That’s almost nine times the population of Ireland, which has 4.1 million people.
- Over 8 million St. Patrick’s Day cards are exchanged in America making today the ninth-largest card selling occasion in the US.
If you’re still unsure of where to go to, what parades to attend or bars to crawl, check out this list of St. Patrick’s Day activities worldwide. And we’d love to hear any of your St. Patty’s Day facts and encourage you to share them below. Cheers!!