We all know the stereotypes of this Irish Saint's day: beer, green, four leaf clovers and leprechauns. But what about the nitty gritty details of this Patrick and his day? This list will give you 10 more reasons to raise your glass of Guinness this St. Patrick's Day.
1. 34 Million United States residents claim Irish ancestry
That’s more Irish than in Ireland!
2. The Chicago River gets a makeover
About 45 pounds of vegetable-based dye turns it green!
3. There are cities named Dublin in the US
16 of them!
4. Americans spend around 4.5 billion dollars on St. Patrick’s day
Looks like we'll need a pot o' gold to cover this tab.
5. Saint Patrick had an eye for blue
What? Yeah. We should be pinching each other for not wearing blue, not green.
6. Another color-mishap: The Leprechaun
These tricky creatures are first sighted in the tale The Adventure of Fergus son of Léti. Before the 20th century, they were often depicted wearing red, not green.
7. St. Patricks’ birth name was Maewyn Succat
I wonder if he got bullied in school…. "Happy St. Maewyn’s Day" It does not have the same effect…
8. Originally, there was no beer to be had on St. Patrick’s Day. WHAT?!
Yep. Because it was made a religious holiday, between the years of 1903 and 1970, pubs were closed.
9. Luckily, that tradition did not survive
Today, about 245 million dollars are spent on alcohol. And about 13 million pints of Guinness consumed.
No wonder March 18th is International Hungover Day…. Right?
10. Not so lucky after all?
Even with all the luck of St. Patrick's Day, your odds of finding a four-leaf clover are about 1 in 10,000. Good luck!
So have some beer that is supposed to be blue, say "Happy St. Maewyn's Day" and find out if you have some Irish in you! Happy St. Patrick's Day!
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