Top5 » 5 Interesting Facts About St. Patrick’s Day
5 Interesting Facts About St. Patrick’s Day
Discover the rich history, enduring traditions, and lively modern celebrations of St. Patrick's Day—from parades to myths and the cultural spirit of Ireland.
By rjn ∙ 6 hours ago
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St. Patrick’s Day is about more than the lively Irish music, green beer, and bustling parades we see today. It’s a celebration deeply rooted in history and tradition, honoring Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Observed every March 17, the date marks the saint’s feast day and the anniversary of his passing, believed to be in 460 AD.
Born around 415 AD, Saint Patrick’s life is shrouded in both history and legend, creating a rich tapestry of stories that blend fact with myth. Did you know his enduring legacy includes not only spreading Christianity across Ireland but also tales of banishing snakes from the island (a feat more symbolic than literal)? His legacy has grown over the centuries, weaving truth with folklore in ways that continue to captivate.
As we don our green attire and join in the festivities, it’s worth pausing to reflect on the layers of history beneath the surface of this beloved holiday. So, as you head out to celebrate this uniquely Irish day, carry with you a nugget of its rich past—it’s the perfect conversation starter amid the sea of shamrocks and cheer.
5.) Wearing Blue Is More Appropriate on Saint Patrick’s Day
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Did you know that blue was once the original color tied to St. Patrick and his holiday in Ireland? It’s true! The shades of blue, still seen today in the Irish coat of arms and other national symbols, are called “St. Patrick’s blue.” But by the 18th century, Ireland had earned its famous nickname, the “Emerald Isle.” It was then that the green shamrock, a symbol of St. Patrick’s teachings, took center stage.
Fast forward to today, and wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day isn’t just a tradition—it’s practically a rule. Forget to don your green, and you might find yourself on the receiving end of playful pinches from family and friends until midnight. According to folklore, it all comes down to leprechauns. Green, they say, makes you invisible to those mischievous creatures who love to pinch anyone they can spot. So, if you decide to embrace history and wear St. Patrick’s blue instead, beware—the leprechauns might just have their fun with you!
4.) St. Patrick Myths
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St. Patrick was a great man but some of your assumptions about him may be wrong. He was not born in Ireland but it is believed he was born in Britannia in Scotland. His parents were wealthy and considered themselves Romans. His real name is believed to be Maewyn Succat and he took on the name Patrick upon becoming a priest. When Patrick was 16 years old he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland where he worked as a shepherd. He was there for 6 years before escaping back to Britannia. Sixteen or so years later, Patrick returned to Ireland to convert the Irish. He heard a voice that told him to convert the people of Ireland.
In Ireland, Patrick used the
Celtic Cross, which he created, and the clover to explain the
Holy Trinity and the Christian faith to the pagan Irish. The greatest false myth of Saint Patrick was that he drove out all the snakes from the isle of Ireland. They were never there, too cold. But the myth started because he drove out the pagan religion from Ireland, and the evil it brought to the people. The symbol of evil was and still is the serpent. Hence Patrick drove out the evil/serpent from Ireland.
Eventually, the Irish immigrants to the United States evolved his feast day into a greater celebration including not only St. Patrick, but also Irish culture, history, and traditions. Though the feast day began in Ireland, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade began in the United States. The parade tradition became exceptionally popular in the 1840s and has not stopped.
3.) Dyeing of the River
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A river in Chicago is transformed into a bright shade of emerald green for several days in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. Every year on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day, a group of volunteers dispenses 40 pounds of dye from a small boat into the Chicago River. Organizers say the dye is vegetable-based (it’s actually orange until it makes contact with the water). The dyeing began in 1962. Mayor Daley wanted to do something special for Saint Patricks Day. A friend of Mayor Richard J. Daley, Stephen Bailey, an officer of the local plumber’s union, had come to him with an intriguing idea in 1961. He had noticed a plumber’s overalls stained with a striking shade of green. The substance was a dye used to test for leaks in pipes. This was the lightbulb moment in which a great Chi-Town custom was conceived.
Tom Rowan worked on the police marine unit in charge of the department’s patrol boats. Daley gave Tom Sr. and his colleague Michael Butler the responsibility of dropping the dye into the river from their boats. They brought their teenage sons along to help, making it a family affair of Rowans and Butlers. Since 1962, the dye crew has been done by the Rowans and Butlers.
2.) Prohibition
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While St. Patrick’s Day evolved in the 20th century into a party day for Americans, the celebration in Ireland remained solemn. The Connaught Telegraph reported of Ireland’s commemorations on March 17, 1952: “St. Patrick’s Day was very much like any other day, only duller.” For decades, Irish laws prohibited pubs from opening on holy days such as March 17. Until 1961. An Irish member of Parliament, James O’Mara, introduced the bill for the one-day holiday prohibition in 1906. , the only legal place to get a drink in the Irish capital on St. Patrick’s Day was the Royal Dublin Dog Show.
The Irish are now adopting St. Patrick’s Day traditions from Irish America such as corned beef and cabbage, which is not a main dish in Ireland. The Irish in Ireland eat boiled bacon, but immigrants were too poor to afford the bacon, so they went for the corned beef.
1.) St. Patrick’s Day Parade Celebrations
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For more than 1,000 years, the Irish have been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 in honor of the 5th-century patron saint of Ireland. But the first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in North America, not in Ireland. In 1762, Irish soldiers serving in the British army marched through the streets of colonial New York City. The tradition of a raucous street parade on St. Patrick’s Day spread to more than 100 U.S. cities by the 21st century.
Today, the parade is one of the largest attended parades in the world. The parade route goes up Fifth Avenue beginning at East 44th Street and ending at East 79th Street. Approximately 150,000 people march in the parade which draws about 2 million spectators. Chicago also gets about 2 million at the St. Patrick’s Day parade.
