Irish American Month and St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations

The deep connection between the Irish and the Americans is notably strong. Rooted in our history, in our traditions – March wouldn’t be the same without some green celebrations and a tribute to wonderful and proud Irish Americans that make up part of our culturally rich country.

According to recent census then there are many more people in the US that have a claim to their Irishness than in Ireland itself. With 39.6 million Americans listing their heritage as primarily or partially Irish, compared to the notably smaller 6.3 million people in Ireland.

The US is home to some of the largest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the world, notably Boston, the first stop for many Irish immigrants who settled in the US, hosting the largest parade. While Chicago dyes their river green with eco-friendly powder to exhibit and celebrate all things Irish.

But, did you know that we should actually be wearing blue, not green? This could have saved Chicago some trouble with transforming the river each March! Historians say that St. Patrick’s color was blue, not green. The use of green on the holiday became common during the 1600s and 1700s, when the clover became a symbol of nationalism and wearing green on lapels became the norm.

Shamrocks and four-leaf clovers are common at this time of year but their symbolism is wonderful all year round. The three leaves of a shamrock are meant to symbolize hope, love, and faith. While if there’s a fourth leaf, it symbolizes luck, which is why we consider four-leaf clovers to be lucky.

So get out there, have fun and take part in some of the local celebrations this March. Or at the very least, we hope you wore a four-leaf clover for some added luck on March 17th.