St. Patrick’s Day is usually filled with lively Irish music, festive parades, and delicious food.
Even if you participate in the St. Patrick’s Day fun, there are many surprising facts you may not know about the event.
On St. Patrick’s Day, you’ll see people dressed in green, but did you know that St. Patrick often wore blue? Another Patty’s Day staple is non-Irish corned beef and It’s cabbage.
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It was born right here in America.
Read more fun facts about St. Patrick’s Day.
St. Patrick’s Day is one of the most drinking days of the year. (Robertus Pudiant/Getty Images)
- St. Patrick’s Day was once a religious holiday
- St. Patrick was from England
- St. Patrick’s birth name was Maewyn Scarcutt
- The first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in the United States, not Ireland.
- St. Patrick’s most revered color was blue, not green
- Corned beef and cabbage originated in America.
- St. Patrick’s Day used to be a dry holiday
- There was no snake to banish.
1. St. Patrick’s Day Was Once a Religious Holiday
Although the day still has religious connections, it is more about Irish pride and tradition than religion.
According to History.com, the origins of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations date back to the 9th or 10th century. This day was the celebration of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
March 17th is the day known as the day he died.
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This day was a religious holiday, as St. Patrick was a Christian who brought religion to Ireland.
2. St. Patrick was actually from England.
Did you know that St. Patrick is not from Ireland? According to History.com, the story of St. Patrick is that he lived in his fifth century and was enslaved during his teenage years. He was taken from England to Ireland, but escaped.
He then returned to Ireland as a missionary and brought Christianity to the indigenous people.
3. St. Patrick’s birth name was Maewyn Scarcutt.
Many details of his life are unknown, but according to Biography.com, his birth name was Maewyn Scarcutt.
He later changed his name to Patricius or Patrick when he became a priest, according to Time magazine.
4. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in the United States.
Ireland is not the first country to hold a St. Patrick’s Day parade. It was actually held in America.
According to History.com, records show the first parade took place in 1601 in what is now St. Augustine, Florida.
The Chicago River turns green for St. Patrick’s Day. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade began in 1762 and has become a major celebration in the United States.
5. St. Patrick’s most revered color was blue, not green.
The current color for St. Patrick’s Day is green, but St. Patrick wore blue. According to Smithsonian Magazine, early depictions of St. Patrick show him wearing blue clothing. If St. Patrick’s official color is blue, why is green the color associated with this day?
There are several different theories.
According to National Geographic, the first theory has to do with Irish folklore, where wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns who like to pinch you. Wear green to avoid getting caught.
Another reason the color green appears around the world on St. Patrick’s Day is because the Irish flag contains green.
6. Corned beef and cabbage originated in America.
The traditional corned beef and cabbage meal served on St. Patrick’s Day originated in the United States, not Ireland.
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Corned beef was eaten by Irish immigrants when they came to America.
A more traditional meal eaten in Ireland is bacon and cabbage or beef stew.
Corned beef and cabbage is a St. Patrick’s Day favorite. (St. Petersburg)
7. St. Patrick’s Day used to be a dry holiday.
Today’s St. Patrick’s Day is one of the most popular drinking days of the year, but it wasn’t always that way.
According to Good Housekeeping, this was due to religious origins at the time. It was a religious holiday, so the pubs were closed.
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It wasn’t until the late 1970s that that changed.
8. There were no snakes to chase away.
According to History.com, legend has it that St. Patrick himself banished all snakes from Ireland.
Officials say science doesn’t fully support the story because there was no trace of the snake in the country’s fossil record.
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According to History.com, before Ireland was surrounded by water, it was covered in ice, and the icy atmosphere would have been too cold for snakes to crawl through.
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