2. St. Patrick’s Day Facts
• St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th,
the traditional religious feast day of Saint
Patrick.
• St. Patrick’s Day originated in Ireland, but is
celebrated all over the USA and in many
other parts of the world.
• It is a day to celebrate Irish culture with
parades, dancing, special foods and green
wherever possible!
3. Symbols: The Shamrock
• The most important St.
Patty’s Day symbol is a
three-leafed clover called
a shamrock.
• The Shamrock was used
by St. Patrick to
represent the meaning of
the holy trinity. The holy
trinity is the idea that
God is really three in
one: The father, the son
and the holy spirit.
4. Symbols: Leprechaun & Pot of
Gold
• The leprechaun is an
Irish fairy that takes
form as a dwarf
shoemaker.
• According to legend, the
leprechaun has a pot of
gold hidden somewhere,
and he must give up his
treasure to the one who
catches him.
• A popular belief is that
his gold is hidden at the
end of the rainbow.
5. Symbols: Green
• The large amounts of rain make Ireland green all year
round and gave it the nickname of the “Emerald Isle.”
• The beautiful landscape was also probably the inspiration
for the national color, making green the perfect color for
St. Patrick’s Day.
6. Parades
• The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in the
USA on March 17, 1762, when Irish soldiers serving
in the English military marched through NYC.
• There are over 100 St Patty’s Day parades in the
USA, the biggest ones are in Boston and NYC.
8. Foods: Corned beef & Cabbage
The most typical St.
Patty’s Day food is
Corned beef and
cabbage. In 2009,
about 26.1 billion
pounds of beef and
2.3 billion pounds of
cabbage were
produced in the
United States.
9. Foods: Irish Soda Bread
Irish soda bread gets
its name from the
use of baking soda
instead of yeast to
make the bread rise.
10. Everything Green!
• Everything that can
be green, should be
green. This includes
clothes, flowers,
beer and even rivers
in some cities!
• In Chicago, the city
dyes their river
green for the
celebration!
