HOW WE CELEBRATE ST. PATRICK’S DAY

THOSE PRETTY GREEN SHAMROCKS

According to Irish legend, Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to illustrate the Holy Trinity — The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit — to his listeners when he was first teaching them about

Christianity.

The Shamrock is not to be confused with a four-leaf clover. If it’s got four leafs, then it’s not the right plant.

THE COLOR GREEN

St. Patrick’s color of choice wasn’t green, it was a light shade of sky blue. Green didn’t become a symbol of Ireland until the Irish Rebellion of 1798 — British soldiers wore red, so the Irish wore green to stand out.

GETTING PINCHED FOR NOT WEARING GREEN

It’s a tradition that folks who don’t wear green on St. Patrick’s Day get pinched. One reason floated for this is because leprechauns supposedly play pranks on people who don’t show sufficient support for the Irish.

CELEBRATING THE DAY

St. Patrick’s Day was a minor religious holiday in Ireland, in which families would celebrate with a big meal. It was in the American colonies that St. Patrick’s Day became a big deal, with Irish soldiers fighting — on the British side, naturally — in the Revolutionary War. One of the earliest St. Patrick’s Day parades was held in New York City in 1762.

EATING CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE

This is more of an Irish-american tradition than an Irish tradition. Irish immigrants to the U.S. in the 19th century found corned beef was cheap and readily available in New York from butchers serving the Jewish communities, but it had been in shorter supply — and, therefore, a luxury item — in Ireland. They found cabbage was pretty cheap as well.

Also, for what it’s worth: There’s no corn in corned beef. Back before refrigeration was common, meat was packed with salt to help it last longer. This wasn’t table salt — these were larger grains of salt referred to as “corns.” So “corned beef” is actually beef treated with salt.

DRINKING BEER

Most pubs in Ireland were shut down by law on the holiday. The beer industry made a huge push in the late 1970s to change that.