Things You Didn’t Know About St. Patrick’s Day

Irish or not, it's time for shenanigans over pints o'Guinness!
by Jaime Perez-Rubio | March 17, 2016

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland making St.Patty’s day – as the Irish like to call it – a very special day for them. It’s actually a Christian feast day that is supposed to be observed by a bunch of churches – including the Catholic Church. Although one would associate religious activities with prayer and peace, this feast day actually involves parades, parties, drinks, and more drinks. Lenten restrictions for drinking and eating are lifted on this.

Sort of like a square version of Rio carnival but with shamrocks hats and bagpipes instead of feathers and g-string sambas. Outside of that, here are a few more things you may want to know about St. Patrick’s feast.

The First Ever St. Patrick’s Day Parade took Place in New York City in the 1762.

The first ever St. Patrick’s Day Parade was actually held in New York City – not in Ireland. Due to a vast migration of Irish people to the United States, the annual celebration became widespread and is now celebrated in various parts of the world – primarily for the alcohol abuse.

Blue was the Original Color Associated with St. Patrick – not Green.

Green is the color that most people will associate Ireland with, but what they might not know is that blue was considered its national colors for many years – especially during the time of St. Patrick. The use of green during St. Patrick’s Day began during the Irish Revolution in 1978, when the clover was used as a national symbol. The color blue is still deeply rooted in Ireland though, and up until today, the Irish Presidential Standard remains blue.

Every St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago, The Plumbers Local 110 Union Dyes the river “Kelly” green.

The fact of the matter is that there are more Irish people in the USA than there are in Ireland. The Plumbers Local 110 Union from Chicago dyes the “Kelly” river green every St. Patrick’s Day. Even if the dye only last for five hours, it’s still great homage to the large percentage of Irish people who live in the city.

St. Patrick Wasn’t Actually Irish – He is Widely Believed to be Scottish or Welsh.

There are many theories as to where St. Patrick was born but most historians agree that he was born to Roman parents who lived in modern day Great Britain. Scholars can’t pinpoint exactly whether it was in Scotland or Wales – but they definitely were definitely sure he wasn’t from Ireland.

Guinness Sales Soar (But You Probably Already Knew That)

It’s international boozing day after all. Yes, every year, people across the world will find an excuse to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day – even if it isn’t rooted in their culture. People will also choose to drink Guinness since it’s the national drink of Ireland. Every year on St. Patrick’s Day, Guinness sales double worldwide.

So Irish or not, in Ireland or not, March 17th is your day for shenanigans over pints o’ Guinness. Cheers, laddies!