1. Saint Patrick was neither Patrick nor Irish.
Mayvin Sukkat was his name. He was born at the end of the 4th century in Britain in a family of Roman citizens. Mayvin was 16 years old when he was kidnapped by Irish brigands and sold into slavery. He was assigned to herd sheep, fled back to Britain and took refuge in a monastery.
Years later he became a priest, took the name Patrician and returned to Ireland to try to convert the country to Christianity. Today he is the main patron saint of Ireland.
2. Green is not the color of Saint Patrick
The original color associated with Saint Patrick was blue. In the few surviving images, Patrick appears in blue robes. The name of this saint is still called a certain shade of blue, which is also used in the coat of arms of Ireland.
Green began to gain popularity from the 18th century as a symbol of the shamrock, spring and the Emerald Isle. It was the green uniform that Irish soldiers wore during the 1798 uprising.
In the 19th century, green finally became the national color of Ireland, and at the same time the color of St. Patrick's Day. Every year on St. Patrick's Day, the waters of one of the small rivers in Chicago even turn green for 5 hours.
3. Why is clover associated with Saint Patrick?
Saint Patrick used the shamrock to tell pagans about the holy trinity. Today it represents good luck all over the world, especially the four-leaf clover.
4. Did Saint Patrick drive the snakes out of Ireland?
Metaphorically, it might be true! But scientists say that in those years there were no snakes in Ireland because of the cold climate.
5. Why is this day celebrated on March 17?
Saint Patrick died on March 17 in 461. The Catholic Church calls the day of the saint's death a holy day, because it is believed that on this day he enters heaven.
This is a national holiday not only in Ireland, but also on the island of Montserrat. In the Canadian province of Newfoundland, it is celebrated as a regional holiday.
6. You couldn't go to the pub on St. Patrick's Day
According to Irish law, from 1903 to 1970, St. Patrick's Day was a religious holiday. This meant that all pubs were closed. When it was «reclassified» as a national holiday, the law was repealed and pubs opened for celebration.
Currently, St. Patrick's Day is criticized for being too commercialized: people do not honor St. Patrick and his legacy, but just drinking and having fun.
7. A celebration for all the Irish of the world
Celebrations around the world include parades, festivals and céilithe (gaelic folk music and dance parties). The first celebration in the United States took place in Boston in 1737.
The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in New York in the 1760s. About 31.5 million Americans (nearly a tenth of the population) reported their Irish ancestry in the latest US Census (2021). By comparison, Ireland has a population of 5.03 million.
There are 16 places in the US with the name Dublin.
8. What will US President Joe Biden get on that day?
The same thing he has received every year since he became US President: a crystal bowl full of shamrocks. This gift is traditionally presented by the Irish Prime Minister to the US leader.
This year will be special because for the first time, Biden will receive the shamrocks in person. Restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic previously prevented the gift from being given in person, in 2021 this was done via video link.
The tradition dates back to 1952, when John Hearn, who became Ireland's first ambassador to the United States, decided it would be a good idea to send a small box of shamrocks to US President Harry Truman. The following year, he went further and asked to make an appointment to deliver the gift to newly elected President Dwight Eisenhower himself.
The gesture started a tradition that keeps strong US-Irish ties and allows the leader of a small country of 5 million people to meet with one of the most powerful politicians in the world every year.
9. Who is a Leprechaun?
Leprechaun, the hero of Irish folklore, has become one of the symbols of St. Patrick's Day relatively recently. According to legend, this little stocky man in a green hat and suit keeps pots of gold buried at the end of the rainbow. Each pot contains 1000 coins, about 30 kilograms of gold in total.
10. A day to celebrate with Guinness
Guinness sales skyrocket on St. Patrick's Day. On average, 10 million pints of black beer are drunk per day in the world. On St. Patrick's Day, that figure more than doubles. According to some estimates, around 13-14 million pints of Guinness will be drunk worldwide on March 17.
By the way, like St. Patrick, Ireland's most famous beer also changed its name: it was originally called Porter, and later Stout Porter.