With St. Patrick’s Day being just a day away, you’ve probably already looked over the history of why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. So now check out these unique historical facts about the upcoming holiday.
- The first St. Patrick’s Day parade didn’t actually take place in Ireland. Instead it took place in New York in 1762 when Irish Soldiers marched through New York.
- Saint Patrick was actually born in Great Britain, not Ireland.
- The Shamrock was used to signify the Holy Trinity before it became the widely recognized symbol of St. Patrick’s Day.
- We didn’t always wear green. The Order of St. Patrick used the color blue which led many to associate St. Patrick’s Day with the same color. Since the 19th Century we’ve associated the color green with St. Patrick’s Day.
- St. Patrick’s Day became a Holy Day for Roman Catholics in the 1600’s when the holiday was finally added onto the liturgical calendar.
- The first St. Patricks Day parade that was held in Ireland was in 1903.
- In 1996 the first ever St. Patrick’s Day Festival was held and over the years has turned into a 5 day event, that over half a million people attend.