St. Patrick's Day

Thursday, December 09, 2004

St. Patrick's Day Color and Symbols

The overpowering color of St. Patrick's Day is green. Everything is turned green for the day and it is a requirement to wear something green in order to avoid being pinched. You can wear anything from a green ribbon to a green shirt or hat. Many people also wear St. Patrick's Day pins. The green is a symbol of springtime, hope, feritility and eternal life.

There are two prominent symbols that are connected to St. Patrick's Day. The shamrock is one such symbol. As mentioned in 'Traditions' it is important to the holiday because the three leaves representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with the stem representing the Godhead. St. Patrick used the shamrock in order to prove that the Trinity existed.



Another symbol that is relevant to U.S.'s celebration of St. Patrick's Day is leprechauns. Although leprechauns are characters in Irish folklore, they have nothing to do with the religious holiday. However, in America, they are heavily associated with Ireland and St. Patrick's Day. In fact, it was not even established in the U.S. until 1959 when Disney's movie Darby O'Gill & the Little People where Americans got a different view of these small men found in Irish folklore. In the film, the leprechauns were cheerful and friendly, which conformed the American view on them and created the association between leprechauns and St. Patrick's Day.



If you are intrigued by leprechauns, check out this website. It has a webcam set up and you can leprechaun watch!

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