St. Patrick's Day Traditions

With ancestors that had names starting with Mc----whatever , you don't have to explain why your skin burns easily in the sun, you have freckles all over, your face turns red when you get angry or embarrassed....and you are first to put on your green for St. Patrick's Day. If you are an American, those ancestors might have come from Ireland. They might have come from Scotland. On the other hand, they might have lived in Scotland, moved to Ireland, and then ended up in America. We are all Irish on St. Patrick's Day! Everybody is Irish on St. Patrick's Day!

You should not be insulted if you hear the following quote. It is just the lively Irishman telling you what he knows to be the truth. It is also an old Irish toast.

Here's to you and here's to me.
May we never disagree.
But should we start to fight and 'cuss,
Here's to me.

St. Patrick's Day in Ireland

In Ireland St. Patrick's Day is really more of a Religious Holiday. St. Patrick was an actual person and is the patron saint of Ireland. There are many legends and stories surrounding the life of St. Patrick. We know that he did much to advance Christianity in Ireland. Some believe St Patrick died on March 17, 493 A.D. Thus, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated each year on March 17th.

The shamrock has three leaves that St. Patrick used to represent the Christian trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Universally people believe the four-leaf clover bestows good luck upon the person who finds it. In Ireland, they say these four leaves stand for Hope, Faith, Love and Luck.

St. Patrick's Day in the United States

In the United States, St. Patrick's Day is a celebration of all things Irish. The first St. Patrick's Day celebration in the United States took place in 1737 in Boston. There are many parades on St. Patrick's Day in the United States. Most people wear green. If they do not wear green or choose not to wear green, they might get pinched. People dress like leprechauns in silly green outfits. They wear pins with Irish symbols. Sometimes they wear pins shaped like green shamrocks. Some cities have pub-crawls, with the bars offering green beer. In Chicago, the people dye the Chicago River green.