Fun facts about St. Patrick's Day

Holidays
St. Patrick's Day
Rate this topic

Free. One surprising fact at a time, by email or push. No app needed.

Did you know? If you are caught not wearing green on St. Patrick's Day, tradition says it is perfectly acceptable for friends to pinch you.

Fact 1 of 29

29 facts about St. Patrick's Day

  1. 1
    Monaco celebrates St. Patrick's Day by occasionally illuminating the Prince's Palace in green lights to show solidarity with Irish heritage.
  2. 2
    Before the color green became popular in the 19th century, the color originally associated with Saint Patrick was actually a specific shade of blue.
  3. 3
    In the original folklore, leprechauns were actually described as solitary creatures who were cobblers by trade, meaning they spent their time fixing shoes for other fairies.
  4. 4
    If a leprechaun is caught, folklore suggests you must never take your eyes off him, because as soon as you look away, he will vanish instantly.
  5. 5
    The first St. Patrick's Day parade did not actually take place in Ireland; it was held in St. Augustine, Florida, by a Spanish colony in 1601.
  6. 6
    A person might look ridiculous hunting through a lawn for hours, but they would need to search an average of 10,000 clovers to find just one with four leaves.
  7. 7
    St. Patrick was not actually Irish; he was born in Roman Britain and was kidnapped by Irish pirates as a teenager before escaping back to his home.
  8. 8
    Chicago has been dyeing its river green for St. Patrick's Day since 1962, using a secret vegetable-based powder that turns the water a bright emerald color for several hours.
  9. 9
    Ancient legend suggests that if you catch a leprechaun, he must grant you three wishes in exchange for his freedom.
  10. 10
    St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th because that is the day St. Patrick passed away in the year 461.
  11. 11
    Some people think that wearing green makes you lucky, but the tradition of wearing green actually started to show support for the Irish independence movement.
  12. 12
    In the city of Savannah, Georgia, the city officials dye the water in their public fountains green to celebrate the massive local parade.
  13. 13
    Before the 20th century, St. Patrick's Day celebrations were much more somber and involved attending church services followed by a quiet family meal.
  14. 14
    The word shamrock comes from the Irish word seamrog, which translates simply to little clover.
  15. 15
    Space agencies have celebrated the day by having astronauts on the International Space Station play traditional Irish music.
  16. 16
    Leprechauns were originally described in Irish folklore as wearing red coats, not the green outfits we see today.
  17. 17
    There is a town in Nebraska called O'Neill that officially declares itself the St. Patrick's Day Capital of Nebraska and paints a giant green shamrock in the middle of the intersection.
  18. 18
    St. Patrick's Day was originally a strictly religious feast day where pubs in Ireland were legally required to be closed by law until the 1970s.
  19. 19
    The probability of finding a four-leaf clover is about 1 in 10,000, making them significantly rarer than most people realize.
  20. 20
    Many people assume that corned beef and cabbage is a traditional Irish meal, but it was actually popularized by Irish immigrants in America as a cheaper substitute for bacon.
  21. 21
    Guinness sales spike significantly on St. Patrick's Day, with about 13 million pints consumed globally compared to the usual 5 million on a typical day.
  22. 22
    St. Patrick's Day is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland and a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, as well as in the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean.
  23. 23
    According to legend, the reason there are no snakes in Ireland is because St. Patrick chased them all into the sea, though scientists note snakes likely never lived there after the last Ice Age.
  24. 24
    While many people think the three-leaf shamrock is the national emblem of Ireland, the official national symbol of the country is actually the harp.
  25. 25
    Chicago has dyed its river green for the holiday since 1962, but they use a secret vegetable-based dye formula to keep it safe for the environment.
  26. 26
    Many people incorrectly believe that St. Patrick was Irish, but he was actually born in Roman Britain and was brought to Ireland as a captive during his teenage years.
  27. 27
    For most of modern history, the official color associated with St. Patrick was not green at all, but a specific shade of light blue that is still known today as St. Patrick's Blue.
  28. 28
    The very first St. Patrick's Day parade did not take place in Ireland, but was instead held in New York City in the year 1762 by Irish soldiers serving in the British military.
Keep exploring

More in Holidays

New Year's Traditions Around the World
Rate this topic
Holidays
New Year's Traditions Around the World

In Denmark, it is a tradition to jump off chairs at the stroke of midnight to literally leap into the new year and bring good luck.

Presidents' Day
Rate this topic
Holidays
Presidents' Day

Presidents Day is actually not the official name of the holiday in the United States; the federal government still officially calls it Washington's Birthday.

Santa Claus
Rate this topic
Holidays
Santa Claus

The modern image of Santa Claus in a red suit was not created by Coca-Cola, but rather solidified by cartoonist Thomas Nast in the 1860s, long before the famous beverage advertisements appeared.

Thanksgiving
Rate this topic
Holidays
Thanksgiving

The first Thanksgiving lasted for three days, and the participants spent a significant portion of that time competing in marksmanship contests and shooting matches.

The Grinch
Rate this topic
Holidays
The Grinch

Dr. Seuss actually drove a car with a license plate that read GRINCH, which he used to get around his hometown of La Jolla, California.

The Mayflower
Rate this topic
Holidays
The Mayflower

While we picture the Pilgrims wearing black clothes with big buckles on their hats and shoes, they actually wore colorful outfits in shades of red, green, and blue, and shoe buckles were not even in fashion at that time.