Well, here are 7 fun facts you may not know about today's Irish holiday:
1. St. Patrick was NOT actually Irish - He was a nobleman born in Great Britain kidnapped by Irish pagans in his early teen years and served as a slave for six years. During this time, Patrick grew to be fond of the spirit of the Irish. After his escape, he returned home and eventually was ordained a priest under the Catholic Church then appointed apostle of Ireland. Patrick traveled from town to town establishing the Catholic Church and in less than thirty years Ireland was converted. He was known to die on March 17th.
2. Holy Shamrock! - It is said that St. Patrick used the three-leaved clover to explain the Holy Trinity (the father, the son and the holy spirit). The shamrock is a symbol of Ireland partly because of the abundance of clover plants in the country. Shamrock comes from the Irish Gaelic word Seamrog; meaning three leaves. Fun fact: The phrase, "drowning the shamrock" is from the custom of floating the shamrock on the top of whiskey before drinking it. The Irish believe that if you keep the custom, then you will have a prosperous year.
3. Don't forget to wear
4. Beware of the snakes in Ireland...or don't because St. Patrick banished them all - Legend says Patrick drove out all the snakes from Ireland, but in fact there were never any snakes due to the climate being too cold for snakes to live in. It is believed that this saying is symbolic to the pagans and their religious beliefs.
5. Irish or American Holiday - According to census data, there are 34.7 million Irish-Americans living in the USA while Ireland holds a population of 4.6 million meaning more than 7 times the population of Ireland. In addition, the first St. Patricks Day parade was in New York City in 1762. I guess you could say the United States holds more "luck" than Ireland!
6. No drinks for anyone on March 17th - St. Patricks Day is known to have been a dry holiday in Ireland until the 1970s due to being a religious holiday for the entire country which meant no alcohol was to be sold. It then became a national holiday and ever since it is known as one of the largest drinking holidays with over $245 million revenue.
7. May the Irish luck be on your side - Because you'll need it if you want to find a four-leaf clover, as the estimated statistical odds of finding one are 1 in 10,000
Come out tonight and celebrate with us!
Source: http://www.hellokids.com/c_20331/reading-and-learning/stories-for-children/st-patrick-s-day-history-and-fun-facts/the-history-of-st-patrick-s-day?pos=1#top_page
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