St. Patrick's Day 2014! Shamrocks, leprechauns, green beer, and four-leaf clovers: fun facts, trivia, traditions for March 17!
Happy Saint Patrick's Day, Mstars fans! In honor of this Irish-lovin' holiday, we've compiled a list of ten "fun facts" you can amuse your friends with over a round of green beer (or Shamrock Shakes)! Enjoy it.
- The very first St. Patrick's Day parade was held in Boston in 1737 (not Ireland). The first "official" NYC parade took place in 1762.
- It's tradition to wear green on St. Patty's Day. If you don't, you might get pinched (superstition, revelers are "invisible" to sneaky leprechauns when wearing green).
- St. Patrick used the shamrock to preach about the trinity. Nowadays, the shamrock allegedly represents faith, hope, and love. But back then, St. Patrick attempted to teach the Holy Trinity through the mystery of the shamrock. The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit are all separate entities, but still one in the same.
- "Leprechaun" has several origins. It could be from the Irish Gaelic word "leipreachan," meaning "a kind of aqueous sprite." It could also derive from "leath bhrogan," which means "shoemaker."
- Roughly 10,000 regular three-leaf clovers exist for every lucky four-leaf clover.
- The Irish flag (land of the "Emerald Isle") is green, white and orange. Green symbolizes the people of the south while orange represents the people of the north. White represents the peace that brings them together as a nation.
- Before celebrating the festivities associated with Saint Patrick's Day, several Catholics attend Morning Mass on March 17.
- Every year since 1962, the Chicago River has been dyed green in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Only a select few organizers know the true "secret" to such a beautiful display:
- Here's a popular Irish toast: "May the roof above us never fall in, and may we friends beneath it never fall out."
- St. Patrick's given birth name was Maewyn Succat. He changed his name to Patricius after becoming a Priest, Latin for "father figure." March 17 marks his death in 461 A.D.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!