Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, otherwise known as St. Patty's. So, we thought it would be fun to share a few facts about the holiday that has us all wearing green.
1. The actual color of St. Patrick is blue. Green became associated with St. Patrick’s Day during the 19th century. Green, in Irish legends, was worn by fairies and immortals, and also by people to encourage their crops to grow.
2. One estimate suggests that there are about 10,000 regular three-leaf clovers for every lucky four-leaf clover.
3. The very first St. Patrick’s Day parade was not in Ireland. It was in Boston in 1737.
4. Erin go Bragh translates to “Ireland forever.”
5. 34 million Americans have Irish ancestry, according to the 2003 US Census. That’s almost nine times the population of Ireland, which has 4.1 million people.
6. 15 million cards are exchanged on St. Patrick’s Day. 10 percent of all St Patrick’s Day cards are sold in New York.
7. More than 100 St. Patrick’s Day parades are held across the United States. New York City and Boston are home to the largest celebrations.
8. Contrary to everything your intuition has taught you, St. Patrick was actually English. He was born in Britain around 350 A.D. and probably lived in Wales.
9. The shamrock is certainly a popular Irish symbol, but it’s not the symbol of Ireland. The harp was historically associated with the Irish.