Interesting Facts About St. Patrick's Day Interesting Facts About St. Patrick’s Day You May Not Know St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated every year on March 17 , but the story behind it is a lot more surprising than the green shirts and parades suggest. For starters, St. Patrick wasn’t actually Irish . Most historians believe he was born in Britain (Roman Britain) and came to Ireland as a captive before later returning as a Christian missionary. Another fun twist: the holiday’s most famous symbol, the shamrock , is strongly tied to a teaching tool. Tradition says Patrick used the three leaves to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity . And while green is now the go-to color, historical references often point out that blue was once associated with St. Patrick, with green becoming dominant later as a symbol of Irish identity. If you’ve ever wondered how “over-the-top” some modern traditions get, consider this: dyeing the Chicago River green is a relatively recent invention—...
