Ah, St. Patrick’s Day – the one day of the year where everyone suddenly remembers their Irish heritage (real or imagined) and starts sporting green clothing, drinking Guinness, and talking in bad Irish accents. It’s a day filled with parades, shamrocks, leprechauns, and all things green.
In honor of this holiday, we thought we’d first try and figure out what the heck it’s all about and then share a look at 10 of our most favorite green things.
Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a cultural and religious celebration held on the 17th of March, the traditional date of the death of Saint Patrick (believed to be March 17, 461 AD). St. Patrick is the foremost patron saint of Ireland who, funnily enough, wasn’t Irish by birth but was a Brit who was kidnapped by Irish pirates.
Since around the ninth century, people in Ireland have been observing the Roman Catholic feast day of St. Patrick, but the first recorded St. Patrick’s Day parade actually took place in America. In 1601 in St. Augustine, Florida – then a Spanish colony – a St. Patrick’s Day parade was organized by the Spanish Colony’s Irish vicar.
More than a century later, on March 17, 1772, homesick Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched in New York City to honor the Irish patron saint. Today, the annual New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade is the world’s oldest civilian parade with more than 150,000 participants and nearly 3 million spectators lining the 1.5-mile parade route.
The holiday has evolved into a global celebration of Irish culture with parades, drinking, special foods, drinking, music, drinking, dancing, drinking and a whole lot of green. Did we mention drinking?
Leprechauns are one reason why you’re supposed to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day – or risk getting pinched.
The tradition is tied to folklore that says wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns, who like to pinch anyone they can see. If you’re lucky enough to catch a leprechaun, then they must lead you to their treasure and may also grant you three wishes. (For those of you reading this who are ready to rush out and start hunting for a leprechaun, we’d highly recommend first reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman for an understanding of what the consequences of catching one might be….)
St. Patrick’s Day aside, the color green universally signifies nature, life, youth, safety and hope. It’s rated as the second most favorite color after blue. Green was a sacred color to the ancient Egyptians who painted the floors of their temples green. Long known as a symbol of fertility, green was the preferred color choice for wedding gowns in the 1400’s.
So, with that sly lead-in, let’s take a look at 10 of our most favorite famous (or infamous) green things:
Money:
I mean, let’s face it, the main reason anyone cares about St. Patrick’s Day is because they think they might get lucky and find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, right?
Kermit the Frog:
While he may have sung about the difficulty of being green, we all know that he secretly loves it.
The Grinch:
Who knew that being green and stealing Christmas could be so lucrative?
The Incredible Hulk:
Because nothing says “Happy St. Patrick’s Day” like a giant, angry green monster.
Shrek
He’s big, he’s green, and he’s got a Scottish accent. What’s not to love?
The Green Lantern:
Because nothing strikes fear into the hearts of evildoers like a guy wearing a green suit with glowing green accessories.
Gumby:
A green claymation icon, with arms and legs like noodles, and weird, bulging eyes. But hey, at least he’s flexible right?
Baby Yoda (Grogu):
He’s cute as a button, smart as a whip, and can cause you great difficulties if you piss him off. Think Leprechaun…
Green M&M’s:
They may not have any special powers or abilities, but damn, they’re sure delicious!
Grass:
Whether you smoke it, mow it, or just enjoy laying back and relaxing on it, this green plant never lets us down.
So there you have it, 10 of our most favorite green things to celebrate this St. Patrick’s Day. Whether you’re Irish or not, whether you’re drinking green beer or not, whether you’re wearing green or not, whether you’re smoking it or mowing it, take a moment to appreciate all the green things in your life. And if you happen to run into a leprechaun, be sure to wish him a Happy St. Patrick’s Day and don’t forget to ask him where he hides his gold. You never know, he just might tell you.
Let us know about some of your favorite green things in the comments below.
Turning the Chicago River green on St. Patrick’s Day:
I’ve always been afraid of the fecking little fellas! My mother used to dream about speaking to them at least weekly. My grandmother who was from born and raised in Madrid had Irish blood, (I have 16% per one of those DNA tests). Anyway, stay away, they are not the happy little guys you see on frosted lucky charms!