Happy St. Paddys Day

I didn't know a lot about St. Paddys day so I thought I would find some fun facts for you! Have a happy one!

Facts about St. Patrick's Day Holiday:
-St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
-St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
-In Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, people traditionally wear a small bunch of shamrocks on their jackets or caps.
-Many cities have a St. Patrick’s Day parade.
-Some paint the yellow street lines green for the day!
-In Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green with a special dye that only lasts a few hours.

Facts about Saint Patrick:
St. Patrick was born in 385 AD . At age 16, he was captured and sold into slavery to a sheep farmer. He escaped when he was 22 and spent the next 12 years in a monastery. In his 30s he returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary.

Facts about the Irish:
-34 million Americans have Irish ancestry, according to the 2003 US Census. That’s almost nine times the population of Ireland, which has 4.1 million people.
-Some American towns have “Irish” names. You could visit: Mount Gay-Shamrock, West Virginia; Shamrock Lakes, Indiana; Shamrock, Oklahoma; Shamrock, Texas; Dublin, California and Dublin, Ohio.
-The harp is the symbol of Ireland.
-The color green is also commonly associated with Ireland, also known as “the Emerald Isle.”
-The Irish flag is green, white and orange. The green symbolizes the people of the south, and orange, the people of the north. White represents the peace that brings them together as a nation.
-The name “lephrechaun” has several origins. It could be from the Irish Gaelic word “leipreachan,” which means “a kind of aqueous sprite.” Or, it could be from “leath bhrogan,” which means “shoemaker.”

Facts about Clovers:
-According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest number of leaves found on a clover is 14!
-One estimate suggests that there are about 10 000 regular three-leaf clovers for every lucky four-leaf clover.
-Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.

And for a fun, true irish recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/irish-beef-hand-pies?xsc=eml_eat_2009_03_17


I hope you have a fun, happy St. Paddys day! Even if you aren't Irish!