{"id":19419,"date":"2021-03-11T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-11T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mominthecity.com\/"},"modified":"2024-04-03T16:43:04","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T20:43:04","slug":"history-of-st-patricks-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mominthecity.com\/history-of-st-patricks-day\/","title":{"rendered":"The True History of St. Patrick’s Day – 5 Fun Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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I majored in History in college, so I\u2019m always intrigued about the historical foundations of holidays. The history of St. Patrick\u2019s Day is no exception! History.com has a great collection of articles, videos and interactive options centered around St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, and the holiday. (By the way, St. Patrick didn\u2019t really<\/strong> banish all of the snakes from Ireland!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My friends from ehow.com also emailed me over the following helpful information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History of St. Patrick\u2019s Day<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSt. Patty\u2019s Day \u2013 What\u2019s Irish About It?
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While St. Patty\u2019s Day is not recognized internationally as a day where everyone gets to be Irish, the facts below from ehow.com make you wonder? It seems the only St. Patty\u2019s Day tradition we got from the Irish is binge drinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Ironically enough, what\u2019s become the biggest drinking day of the year, was first established as a religious celebration<\/strong>, a time of spiritual renewal. It was originally created as a feast day by the Catholic Church, honoring the life of Ireland \u2018s patron saint. St. Patrick, who died in the 5th century, is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland . Thus, the holiday was first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. The first St. Patrick\u2019s Day parade took place in New York City in 1762 on March 17, not Ireland.<\/strong> That first parade has grown to become the biggest St. Patrick\u2019s Day parade in the United States. Three million people gather to watch the 150,000 people and floats that form the parade. The parade route is a mile and a half long, with the last participants reaching the end five hours later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Wearing green on St. Patrick\u2019s Day and being pinched if you don\u2019t is not an Irish tradition. Surprisingly, green is considered an unlucky color in Ireland and is associated with a green flag in use when Ireland was not free. The Irish use blue instead and have what they call \u201cSt. Patrick\u2019s Blue\u201d in their flag and in military uniforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the American Greetings Company, the custom of wearing green originated in the United States , as did the custom of being pinched<\/strong>. The latter was started by children who used the made-up rule to pinch classmates. Still, even though not specifically Irish, the color green for St. Patrick\u2019s Day is one observed worldwide. The city of Chicago, Illinois even dyes its river green on St. Patrick\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. The shamrock was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland, because it was a symbol of rebirth. During Ireland \u2018s struggle for freedom from the English, the Celts wore the shamrock in a silent protest. From there, as knowledge of the shamrock grew, it eventually because a symbol of Ireland itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Leprechauns, another popular symbol on St. Patrick\u2019s Day, was based on an Irish belief in \u201clobaircin,\u201d small people they believed were magical.<\/strong> It was never part of St. Patrick\u2019s Day. However, in the United States, Disney released a movie called \u201cDarby O\u2019Gill & the Little People.\u201d This type of leprechaun was lovable, so American people took him to heart, eventually adding him to St. Patrick\u2019s Day celebrations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These fun facts about the history of St. Patrick\u2019s Day were interesting to me. I hope that you enjoyed them too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you enjoyed this post, please share it. In addition, consider signing up for my\u00a0weekly email newsletter<\/a>\u00a0so that you don\u2019t miss future updates. Thanks!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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