St. Patrick's Day is almost here, which means you might be scouring your closets for a green outfit or accessory. But have you ever wondered why we don the color every March 17?
So the leprechauns don’t get you
Legend has it that if you're wearing the color green, the quintessentially Irish, fairy-like creatures called leprechauns won't be able to see you. And if they can't see you, they can't pinch you. (It's worth noting that before St. Patrick's Day, leprechauns were known not for wearing green but red.)
So you don’t get pinched
These days, leprechauns have outsourced their pinching to the rest of the world. So if you're not wearing green on St. Patrick's Day, you never know who might surprise you with a pinch.
For St. Patrick himself
As the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick was a missionary who heralded the shift from paganism to Christianity in the fifth century, when he was a man in his 40s. St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on what is believed to be the anniversary of his death — March 17, 460 A.D.
Fun fact: St. Patrick wasn't even born Irish. He was born in Great Britain.
It’s in the Irish flag
The Irish flag is deeply symbolic — the green represents the Irish Catholics, the orange represents the Protestants, and the white represents peace between the two. The green itself is called "shamrock green." In designer-speak, it's hex #169B62.
It’s the color of shamrocks
Shamrocks are one of the national symbols of Ireland — and not without reason. St. Patrick himself used the green, three-leaf clover to teach the Irish about the Holy Trinity: one for the father, one for the son, and one for the Holy Spirit.
The iconic four-leaf clover is just a symbol of good luck.
It’s the color of nature
By mid-March, in most of the northern hemisphere, gray skies, snow, and rain are giving way to the first hints of green returning to trees and plants.
It’s the color of spring
March 17 precedes the first official day of spring, which, this year, occurs on March 20.
Ireland is the Emerald Isle
For its vivid and lush green landscapes, Ireland has long been called the Emerald Isle. The phrase comes from a 1795 poem by William Drennan called When Erin First Rose.
Part of it goes:
"Arm of Erin, be strong! but be gentle as brave;
And uplifted to strike, be still ready to save;
Let no feeling of vengeance presume to defile
The cause of, or men of, the Emerald Isle."
Because of immigration
When a large population of the Irish came to the United States, in the mid-1800s, they wore the color green (as well as the Irish flag) as a point of national pride, further solidifying the relationship between the color green and the Irish in the American imagination.
So you’ll match the Chicago River
Starting in 1962, the Chicago River has gotten into the St. Patrick's Day spirit, with the help of about 40 pounds of environmentally friendly orange powder that turns bright green when mixed.
Here's a timelapse of of the process, which takes about 45 minutes and can last for several days.
So you won’t stain your clothes when you spill your green beer
Green anything goes for St. Patrick's Day. But green beer is perhaps the most iconic, as it speaks not only to the Irish roots of the holiday but also to the widespread excuse to imbibe heavily on St. Patty's Day. Interestingly enough, the recipe for green beer dates back to 1914.
For the kids
Celebrating St. Patrick's Day with pinches and shamrock accessories might seem silly, but it can be meaningful to kids. What child wouldn't love walking into their classroom to find small green footprints everywhere? Maybe on the ceiling, on the desks, or even on the toilet seat. Let's keep the magic, if only for one day in March.
