Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

“Top o’ the mornin’ to ya!”

“May you have all the happiness and luck that life can hold – and at the end of your

rainbows may you find a pot of gold.”

“May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back.”

St Paddy’s Day is almost here, and this March 17 th , will soon have everyone seeing GREEN!

Here are some facts that you may or may not know about St. Patrick’s Day:

* Patrick was actually born in Britain. He first went to Ireland as a kidnapped slave and only

later returned as a bishop and missionary.

* Many believe he offered a successful prayer to God to keep “venomous beasts” from

inhabiting their island. In fact, research suggests snakes never occupied the Emerald Isle in

the first place.

* According to legend, St. Patrick once discovered the identity of a sheep thief by using his

holy power to command the sheep to bleat in the stomach of the person who had eaten it.

* Although we think GREEN is the color of the day, the original color associated with St.

Patrick was blue. It wasn’t until St. Patrick’s Day became a celebration of all things Irish that

green became the holiday’s color.

* The oldest known St. Patrick’s Day parade was in 1601, in a Spanish colony at the site of

what is now St. Augustine, Florida.

* St. Patrick’s Day commemorates the date of Saint Patrick’s death. According to legend,

Patrick was 122 years old when he died.

* The shamrock was considered a sacred plant. It is said that St. Patrick used the plant as a

visual guide when explaining the Holy Trinity. By the 17 th century, the shamrock had become

a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism.

* Leprechauns are commonly associated with St. Patrick’s Day; however, these fairy-type

creatures come from Celtic folktales rather than Irish or Christian lore.

* Every year, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, the Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower, and

Giza Pyramids are all illuminated with green lights.

* Chicago’s annual tradition of coloring its river green began in 1962. An unknown powder is

used to turn the river green. Only members of two Irish-American families know the recipe

and are allowed on the boat that distributes it.

* New York, London, Chicago, and Dublin host the largest St. Patrick’s Day parades.

* In addition to Ireland, Saint Patrick is also the patron saint of Nigeria and Boston, and of

paralegals and engineers.

* Seventeenth-century celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland were often brought to a

close with the final tradition of placing a shamrock in a glass of whiskey before downing it.

* Wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day is a tradition that stems from the lore surrounding

leprechauns who supposedly pinch anyone within sight, UNLESS the person is wearing

green, which makes them invisible to leprechauns.

* Despite being a holiday of Irish origin, St. Patrick’s Day is now celebrated on evert world

continent.

* Corned beef and cabbages is actually Irish-American rather than Irish in origin.

* On St. Patrick’s Day of 2017, a worldwide total of 13 million pints of Irish stout Guinness

were consumed. In the U.S., people imbibe around 3 million pints – five time the amount

consumed on any other day.

* Boston has around 1 million celebrants watching its 3-mile-long St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Hot Springs, Arkansas has one of the world’s shortest, covering only 98 feet.

* The first Ronald McDonald House was built through a fundraising partnership between the

Philadelphia Eagles and MacDonalds and the famous mint-flavored “shamrock shakes,”

which are only sold around St. Patrick’s Day.

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