Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!

What a fun holiday that celebrates irish culture as well has kicking off a season of springtime here in YYC. Be prepared for green drinks, four-leaf clovers and (hopefully) a little bit if irish luck.

There is one strange tradition associated with St. Patrick’s Day that we have never understood. The tradition is this: on St. Patrick’s Day you are supposed to wear green, which makes sense since green is one of the colours of the irish flag and is most commonly associated with things such as four-leaf clovers and the beautiful landscape of Ireland. However, what we don’t understand is why, if you do not wear green on St. Patrick’s day, you get pinched!

Bustle has the answers:

“[Green] has been used as a way to recognize and celebrate Irish American culture through St. Patrick’s day parades, parties, and all green everything. Although some early accounts claim that blue was the first official color of the holiday, Ireland’s nickname, the Emerald Isle, and the colours in the Irish flag, changed all that. It became custom to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day — unless, that is, you wanted to get pinched.

That’s right — wearing green isn’t only a way to show your Irish pride, but it’s also a defense tactic. According to legend, wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns, those mischievous fairy creatures from traditional Irish folklore who, for whatever reason, like to pinch whoever they can see. The tradition of pinching people who don’t wear green on St. Patrick’s Day is supposed to be a reminder that, at any time, a leprechaun could appear and wreak havoc on you.”

There you have it! Wear green or else the leprechauns are going to wreak havoc on your life. A pinch from a family member seems like a much nicer alternative incase we forget to wear green.

If you are looking for something to do this St. Patrick’s Day to join in the celebrations, check out Avenue Calgary’s list of ways to celebrate this year HERE. We hope you have fun celebrating this holiday and remember: don’t forget to wear green!

Posted by Ken Richter on

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