Visit our St. Patrick's Day section for more news, recipes, history and "craic"
Here are some little known facts and figures about St.Patrick’s Day and how and where it is celebrated.
1.St. Patrick's Day is not just a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is also a holiday in Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, and in Montserrat in the West Indies.
2. St. Patrick's Day is the most widely celebrated saint's day in the world.
It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland)the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church.
3. St Patrick’s Day color was originally blue.
Originally, the color associated with Saint Patrick was blue, but over the years the colour green and its association with Saint Patrick's day grew.
In the 1798 Irish rebellion, in order to make a political statement, Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms
4. A holiday for 12 centuries
Saint Patrick's feast day was already being celebrated by the Irish in Europe in the ninth and tenth centuries.
5. Six centuries as a holy day
St Patrick’s Day made it onto the church calendar in the early 1600s thanks to Waterford Franciscan Luke Wadding.
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Read more:
Nike apologies for offensive St. Patrick’s Day “Black and Tan” sneakers
St. Patrick's Day birthday girl, Mae Collins (107) recalls Ellis Island experience - VIDEO
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6. Saint Patrick's Day in Holy Week-- not until 2160
In recent times, in 1940 and 2008, Saint Patrick's Day fell in Holy Week. It will not fall within Holy Week again until 2160. Hopefully they will still have Guinness, Jameson and parades then.
7. Britain’s biggest parade is not London
Birmingham, not the capital city, London, hosts the largest St.Patrick’s Day parade in Britain with a massive city centre parade over a two mile route through the city centre. The organisers describe it as the third biggest parade in the world after Dublin and New York.
8. Canadian hockey team goes green
The Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League used to be known as Toronto St. Patrick’s from 1919 to 1927 and wore green jerseys. In 1999, when they had a nationally televised game on St.Patrick’s night, they wore green again.
9. The furthest north celebration
It is in Nome, Alaska, with a parade and a golf tournament. Everbody shoots over Brrrrr...!
10. Shortest St.Pat’s parade
Hot Springs Arkansas’s Bridge Street parade is the world's shortest because Bridge Street was named the shortest street in the world in the 1940s. The parade was declared "The Quirkiest St. Patrick's Day Parade on Earth" by Smithsonian Magazine in 2009.
Visit our St. Patrick's Day section for more news, recipes, history and "craic"
14 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.IrelandNorth | Mar 16, 2012, 07:11 AM EDT
CitizenWhy/SaoranachCenFath! There is no St. David's cross in the [British] Union flag. A 'jack' is a nautical term. The British union flag is a superimposition of the English red St. George's (horizontalised) cross on white background. The red diagonalised St. Patrick's cross of Ireland on white background. And the white diagonalised St. Andrew's cross of Scotland on blue background. The poor little Welsh are effectively ignored, but have their own white and green horizontal flag with a red dragon. Murph46/O Murcu46 is right. The term British derives from the Act of Settlement, 1777 between the [United?] Kingdoms of England and Scotland. A democratic fraud repeated by the Act of Union, 1800/'01 of Great Britain and Ireland. The 'Brit's' never removed the St. Patrick's cross from their union flag despite the Irish War of Independence 1920'21 which led to the Anglo-Irish Treaty, 1922. Note the visual dissonance or off-centredness of the St. Patrick's cross in the British union flag. Gee! I wonder why?
GeorgeDillon | Mar 15, 2012, 03:33 PM EDT
Murph: You're a real nitwit. There were no "Brits" in 1538. You really don't know any history, do you?
GeorgeDillon | Mar 15, 2012, 03:32 PM EDT
MadColgan, aka Prince Dildo. I promised another poster that I would try to ignore your stupid abuse and racist rants. So I'll try ...
MCCOLGAN1492 | Mar 15, 2012, 02:46 PM EDT
King Georgie Diloon- You got beat up every day in the neighborhood didn't you? Now you are acting out your child hood with your posts. Probably have the kind of face even a mother would never get tired of beaten.... It is best to ignore this Jack Ass, it would take away his reason for existence.
Mrsnoahtoo | Mar 15, 2012, 10:43 AM EDT
Now boys, as me dear old mother used to say...no need for a dust up! After all we are all Irish here. What I find disgraceful is that the St. Patty's day parade almost didn't happen in Dallas because of lack of funds...luckily a nice fellow stepped up to the plate, Note* there were 2 Martin Luther King day parades and of course the kids got the day off from school. Separation of Church and State?? Does that mean that King was not a religious man??
CitizenWhy | Mar 14, 2012, 11:43 PM EDT
The careerist bishop who burned the Bachall Iosa was Irish. Working for the British king, yes, but Irish. He did whatever it took to keep his job and privileges. Catholic, then Protestant, then Catholic.
Murph46 | Mar 14, 2012, 05:18 PM EDT
Hey GeorgeDummy where are you? B4 you respond to my posts you better follow directions (as in read the book) before you again open your mouth and forever prove your ignorance!
roscreaman | Mar 14, 2012, 05:10 PM EDT
The San Diego St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festive, the largest Parade west of Chicago will be Celerating their 32nd annual event on Saturday March 17, 2012 with pipers and 150 entries in the 2 hour Parade starting at 10:30 A.M The festival with authentic Irish music goes to 6 P.M. A big event Rain or Shine.
Murph46 | Mar 14, 2012, 04:45 PM EDT
1538 my error in print
Murph46 | Mar 14, 2012, 04:40 PM EDT
George it happened in 1638 check your history ,as I admonished you b4-READ THE BOOK ! Before you again prove YOUR IGNORANCE -it was an Anglican Bishop who burned it 'Go check to see if it's time for your meds!
GeorgeDillon | Mar 14, 2012, 03:50 PM EDT
Murph: What a dopey post. Who were "the Brits"? Don't you know any Irish history? St Patrick died in the fifth century. The Normans, and of course they could not be termed "Brits", didn't show up for 700 years afterwards. So what's your nonsense about the "Brits" burning the Bachall? Have you been "burning" the Baileys again? Why not make this St Patricks's Day a sober one?
Murph46 | Mar 14, 2012, 03:08 PM EDT
You might also mention his staff the Bachall Iosa ,supposedly staff of Jesus,handed down to St.Patrick Stolen and burned by Brits after his death-Google it! You will find my book!
CitizenWhy | Mar 14, 2012, 02:41 PM EDT
St. Patrick's original color was blue because a blue shield with a gold harp is the official heraldic shield for Ireland (as a whole). You neglected to mention that the cross of St. Patrick was once flown throughout the world, that is, it's on the British Union Jack along with the crosses of St. Andrew, St. David, and St George.
Dompedro | Mar 14, 2012, 02:37 PM EDT
how long is the parade in Ark? there's one in Boulder, CO that's two blocks