St. Patrick’s Day Facts

• St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th, the traditional religious feast day of Saint Patrick.

• St. Patrick’s Day originated in Ireland, but is celebrated all over the USA and in many other parts of the world.

• It is a day to celebrate Irish culture with parades, dancing, special foods and green wherever possible!

Symbols: The Shamrock• The most important St.

Patty’s Day symbol is a three-leafed clover called a shamrock.

• The Shamrock was used by St. Patrick to represent the meaning of the holy trinity. The holy trinity is the idea that God is really three in one: The father, the son and the holy spirit.

Symbols: Leprechaun & Pot of Gold

• The leprechaun is an Irish fairy that takes form as a dwarf shoemaker.

• According to legend, the leprechaun has a pot of gold hidden somewhere, and he must give up his treasure to the one who catches him.

• A popular belief is that his gold is hidden at the end of the rainbow.

Symbols: Green• The large amounts of rain make Ireland green all year

round and gave it the nickname of the “Emerald Isle.” • The beautiful landscape was also probably the inspiration

for the national color, making green the perfect color for St. Patrick’s Day.

Parades• The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in the

USA on March 17, 1762, when Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through NYC.

• There are over 100 St Patty’s Day parades in the USA, the biggest ones are in Boston and NYC.

Parades

Foods: Corned beef & Cabbage

The most typical St. Patty’s Day food is Corned beef and cabbage. In 2009, about 26.1 billion pounds of beef and 2.3 billion pounds of cabbage were produced in the United States.

Foods: Irish Soda Bread

Irish soda bread gets its name from the use of baking soda instead of yeast to make the bread rise.

Everything Green!

• Everything that can be green, should be green. This includes clothes, flowers, beer and even rivers in some cities!

• In Chicago, the city dyes their river green for the celebration!

Everything Green!