By Juliana Pagano ’29
March 17 marks a day when many honor the Land of the Saints through traditions such as wearing green clothing, attending parades, and enjoying Irish cuisine. You may be surprised to learn that many of the customs we know today actually originated in the United States.
The first celebration of the Emerald Isle began as a feast honoring St. Patrick on the anniversary of his death. A patron saint who spread Christianity throughout Ireland, Patrick used the iconic three leaves of a shamrock as a symbol of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The four-leaf clover, on the other hand, cemented its place in culture as a token of luck due to its extreme rarity and its roots in Celtic folklore.
Today in Ireland, the public holiday is typically more subdued and family-oriented, often focused on its religious origins. The United States, in contrast, celebrates with larger-scale, secular events. For one thing, the color green appears everywhere. The Chicago River is dyed green, cookies take on an emerald hue, and food dye becomes a necessity. Americans even invented the concept of pinching anyone who isn’t dressed in a leafy shade.
In Ireland, however, the color orange can sometimes be considered offensive in the Republic, as it has historically been associated with Protestantism and Unionism.
