Ah March, my favorite time of year! To me, the very best things happen in March. My birthday kick-starts the month, there’s spring break, nice weather and most importantly, St. Patrick’s Day! Coming from an Irish family and growing up in a very Irish neighborhood, Paddy’s Day (yes Paddy, not Patty) has become my favorite holiday to celebrate! I always get decked out in green, enjoy my mom’s soda bread and celebrate with friends. I won’t lie, Parade Day even made a slight impact on my decision to come to this school. Here are a few fun facts you may not have known about St. Patrick’s Day!
1. Saint Patrick was actually British, not Irish.
2. Paddy’s Day has gotten a rep as a huge drinking day. That wasn’t always the case. It used to be a strictly religious day in Ireland. In 1970, it was declared a national holiday and that’s when people really started to celebrate!
3. With that in mind, in 2012, it was estimated that a whopping $245 million was spent on beer on St. Patrick’s Day.
4. The shamrock is a symbol for the holiday because Saint Patrick used one as a symbol to represent the Holy Trinity.
5. Everyone always rocks some green on Paddy’s Day, but that wasn’t always the original color. Originally, the color associated with the holiday was blue. Once St. Pat used the shamrock as a symbol of the Trinity, the color switched to green.
6. There are more Irish people in America than there are in Ireland. The Irish American population is 34 million. There are only 4.5 million people living in Ireland.
7. March 17 is the day that Saint Patrick died. They used this day instead of his birthday as his feast day to remember the day that he entered Heaven.
Have a very happy March 17, everybody! Don’t forget your green! Sláinte!