The Real Color Of St. Patrick

Today is a great day of celebration in Ireland and throughout the world as St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated. So pull out your box of Lucky Charms, look for the pot of gold and grab onto your shamrocks, oh, and don’t forget to wear green. Ever wonder why wearing green is the tradition for St. Patrick’s Day?

In reality, BLUE is the color most often associated with St. Patrick himself and the ancient colours of Ireland. According to wikipedia, “St. Patrick’s Blue refers to a blue, often but not always dark blue, associated with St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Although St. Patrick is often depicted in green chasuble and episcopal mitresaint was more often shown wearing blue garments today, before the 20th century the saint was more often shown wearing blue garments”.

St. Patrick’s Blue is officialy the color that appears on the Presidential Standard of Ireland and the Coat of Arms of Ireland.

So where did the green come from? “Green, the colour most widely associated with Ireland, with Irish people, and with St. Patrick’s Day in modern times, may have gained its prominence through the phrase “the wearing of the green” meaning to wear a shamrock on one’s clothing. At many times in Irish history, to do so was seen as a sign of Irish nationalism or loyalty to the Roman Catholic faith. According to legend, St. Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish.”

So little did I know that when I put on my blue jacket and blue shirt (forgetting that today was St. Patty’s Day) I was actually celebrating the ‘older’ St. Patrick’s Day tradition of wearing blue in celebration of Ireland and its rich history.

St. Patrick’s Day is a great day for celebrating and enjoying the culture and heritage of Ireland. Its a reason to dance, sing and have fun. So enjoy this clip from a local St. Patrick’s Day festival of some Irish pipers, drummers and crazy dancers…

Irish Pipers from 72mm Blogs on Vimeo.