Saint Patrick's Day

Everyone wonders about holidays and where they originated.

It's a great way to share bits of history that make history exciting to children. Why? Probably because they don't realize these little facts are bits of history. St. Patrick's Day being the most recent holiday that coincides with this blog was originally a Roman Catholic holiday. It celebrates Ireland's patron saint and was originally observed only in Ireland; It was in the 1700's when Irish immigrants in the U.S. started the first St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City.


So how did the wearing of green become the thing of this holiday? It's said that blue was originally the color associated with the holiday but over time green took over in popularity. This could be due to Ireland's nickname as "The Emerald Isle", the green in the Irish flag and the clover that St. Patrick used in his teachings about Catholicism.


In reading about this springtime holiday of Erin, I found some other interesting facts as well.


We have all heard about the war between Protestants and Catholics. Sometimes it is hard to understand all the ramifications of it and how big the division really was or is. Not having been to Ireland myself, I am stuck with what I read. In Ireland, the tradition where Catholics wear green and Protestants wear orange on this holiday is still followed by some.


I also found an interesting fact that ties this tradition with some history of the Irish flag.


These colors are associated with the religious sects and are represented on the Irish flag; Catholics with the green, Protestants by the orange, and the white on the flag is symbolic of the peace between the two.


People in Ireland do not wear as much green or celebrate quite as wildly as revelers do elsewhere according to my findings. However, there is apparently a legend that wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns that will pinch you if they can see you.....Hope your Saint Patrick's Day was a wonderful celebration however you chose to pass the holiday!