Today is the day where most of us wear green, drink beer, and occasionally hope to get our hands on four-leaf cloves. Some of us will improvise an Irish dinner to share with our most loved people just because, and might even go as far as trying to make a fancy Irish dessert to impress. For us FIU Panthers, we might walk around GC trying to catch on to the spirit between classes, or may even create a random clove hunt around our gardens. However, most of us don’t know about the real man behind this famous holiday. Would you like to know?
Read bellow to discover the most interesting facts about St. Patrick’s Day.
1.The Real St. Patrick Wasn’t Even Irish
According to “St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography”, the man behind this legend was born in Britain to an aristocratic Christian family. When he was sixteen years old he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland as a slave. According to legend, a voice told him to escape one day, and he did. However, after he reunited with his family in Britain, the voices told him to go back to Ireland again. He did and spent the rest of his life converting the Irish to Christianity.
2.Most Traditions Held Now on St. Patrick’s Day Were Created in America.
St. Patrick’s Day was a minor religious holiday in Ireland. In 1762 Irish soldiers that had fought in the war together with Britain in the U.S revolutionary war marched through New York City creating one of the first St Patrick’s Day parades. And so the tradition of the New York parade began!
3.One of the Most Famous Traditions in the U.S is Dying Part of the Chicago River Green.
For those of you who didn’t know, one of the most celebrated traditions on this day is the dying of the Chicago River green. This tradition started around 1962 and has continued to this day. Although there are environmental concerns about the effects of the dyes on the river, experts say the damage is minimal compared to the pollution from sewage-treatment plants.
4.Blue Was the First Color Linked with St. Patrick
When we hear about St Patrick’s Day we instantly link it to the color green. However, this was not always the color associated with this saint. In fact, the official color for St Patrick was blue until the 1798 Irish Rebellion, in which green started to symbolize Ireland and quickly spread as the national color.
Hope you enjoyed these facts and that somehow through the day a leprechaun fiilled your pockets with money and luck. Happy St Patrick’s Day fellow Collegiates!!