5 Things to Know About St. Patrick's Day
Some fun facts and figures to get your holiday off on the right foot.
1. WHEN AND WHY: St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
2. BEST PLACES TO CELEBRATE: There are seven places in the United States named after the shamrock, the floral emblem of Ireland including Mount Gay-Shamrock, WV; Shamrock, TX; Shamrock Lakes, IN; and Shamrock, OK. Sixteen U.S. places share the name of Ireland's capital, Dublin. With 44,541 residents, Dublin, CA, is the largest of the nice, followed by Dublin, OH, with 39,310. Other towns with the luck of the Irish include Emerald Isle, North Carolina and Irishtown, Illinois.
3. WILL THE REAL ST. PATRICK PLEASE STAND UP? For starters, the real St. Patrick wasn't even Irish. He was born in Britain around A.D. 390 to an aristocratic Christian family with a townhouse, a country villa, and plenty of slaves. At 16, Patrick's world turned: He was kidnapped and sent overseas to tend sheep as a slave in the chilly, mountainous countryside of Ireland for seven years.
4. COLOR BLIND: The actual color of St. Patrick is blue. Green became associated with St. Patrick's Day during the 19th century. Green, in Irish legends, was worn by fairies and immortals, and also by people to encourage their crops to grow.
| Percent of adults who plan on celebrating St. Patrick’s Day | 46 % |
| Percent of adults who plan on having a drink to celebrate | 20 % |
| Percent of people who plan on going to a St. Patrick’s Day parade | 10 % |
| Percent of people who plan on going to a party | 7.2 % |
| Percent of people who plan on decorating their home or office | 9.6 % |
| Consecutive years New York has hosted St. Patrick’s Day Parade | 248 |
| Odds of a child being named Patrick | 0.1 % |
| Total Number of U.S. Residents claiming Irish Ancestry | 36.9 million |
| Total percent of Massachusetts with Irish Ancestry | 24% |
Isabella Jancourtz
8:55 am on Sunday, March 17, 2013
We're all Irish on St. Patrick's Day. Today this Polish/Croatian American salutes two local American heroes I will always associate with this fun-filled feast of brotherly love.
John Niles is a Viet Nam vet, a very funny guy who sends hilarious e-mails to his friends, and an activist for peace since his student days at Harvard. This afternoon he will be marching once again in South Boston with his band of brothers, the Veterans for Peace. They will be at the very end of the parade, but not after the street sweepers this time. These guys had to go to court to get that much respect. That is shameful, in my view. Hopefully this year they will get the attention, the love and the appreciation that they truly deserve.
Jerry Wasserman was Needham's "singing selectman" and the life of the St. Patrick's Day party we look forward to every year. Last night, instead of cracking up at his witty, irreverent verses, we had a long and heartfelt moment of silence for Jerry, who passed away two weeks ago. Fortunately for those who loved him, Jerry cut a CD last year, WALL ST. BIG SHOT. On the cover Jerry is all dressed up in top hat and tux, smooching a stack of dollar bills at the corner of Broadway and Wall Street.
Happy St. Patrick's Day to John, to Jerry and to all who stand up for peace and justice in this world, as Patrick himself did all those years ago.