17 fun facts and trivia about the cultural history of St Patrick's Day from snakes to shamrocks

Fun facts range from snake racing to St Patrick even being a Welshman. The wild fun facts are a great way to surprise your friends and family on St Patrick’s Day and to understand the historical and cultural significance of the date. Happy St Patrick’s Day!

1. Who was Saint Patrick?

Saint Patrick was not Irish. Saint Patrick was born to a Roman Christian family as Britain was occupied by the Romans at the time. Some scholars believe he was actually a Welshman. Regardless of whether or not he was Welsh, he was born in the UK.

Patrick was enslaved by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland where he was set free or escaped, but he eventually returned as a priest. When Patrick returned to Ireland in 432, he began his mission to convert the island to the Catholic faith and by 461, Ireland was almost completely Christian.

2. What was Saint Patrick’s original name?

According to legend, Saint Patrick was actually born as Maewyn Succat but then changed his name to the Latin word for “father figure,” Patricius, or the iconic name Patrick.

3. Where is the world’s largest St Patrick’s Day parade?

The world’s largest St Patrick’s Day parade is in New York City with over 150,000 participants. The parade started in March 1762 in honour of the patron saint, but also because Saint Patrick is the Archdiocese of New York.

The entire group of people involved with the parade are volunteers who wish to celebrate the festivities and for some participants, continue the work of their family members who originally organised the parade. The parade starts at 44th Street and Fifth Avenue and travel up 79th street as millions of people watch the parade and join in on the festivities.

4. When was the holiday officially celebrated?

The first official observation of St Patrick’s Day by the church was actually not until 1631 with the church’s declaration of the feast day on March 17th.

The holiday may not have officially started until the 17th Century, but it is believed Irish people have been celebrating the holiday since the ninth or 10th Century.

5. Where is the world’s one person St Patrick's Day parade?

In Enterprise, Alabama, one person of Irish descent celebrates the holiday with a one person parade, complete with an Irish flag and a pot o’ gold. The route goes past the Boll Weevil Monument and the local courthouse as the person recites limericks.

The world's smallest St. Paddy's Day parade is still great fun for everyone involved and people still gather to watch the short and intimate celebration.

6. Where can you find an artificial green river for the holiday?

In lovely Chicago, Illinois, the city decides to turn the river green to celebrate the occasion. The popular tradition started in 1962 and can be seen again this year as the river is ready for the celebration.

The act of dyeing the Chicago River green has even become an event as people gather in their St. Paddy’s Day gear to watch the event unfold and to see the blue water turn bright green.

7. Where did “Kiss Me I’m Irish” come from?

Everybody loves to kiss the Blarney stone, the Stone of Eloquence, at Blarney Castle, but it may not be possible to travel to Blarney in County Cork. This is where the iconic saying comes from, as kissing an Irish person is the next best course of action!

Who needs a Blarney stone when you have an Irish person to kiss? The saying is also linked to “The Luck of the Irish.” You could definitely use that luck to try and find a four leaf clover.

8. How rare is it to find a four leaf clover?

Finding a four leaf clover can be very challenging as it is a 1 in 10,000 chance of happening according to the wonderful Google search.

However, an analysis in 2017 revealed that the odds are actually 1 in 5,000. So a little better? If you want to find a five leaf clover, however, those odds are 1 in 24,000.

9. How did St Patrick use the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity?

One of the most common legends about St Patrick is that he used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity with each leaf representing a different figure.

The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit each are represented in the clover, the nation’s symbol, and thus the myths and legends of Saint Patrick were inseparable with Irish culture.

10. Where is the world’s largest (painted) shamrock?

The world's largest (painted) shamrock is actually on Long Island. The Milleridge Inn in Jericho, New York, defeated the Irish capital of Nebraska for the title of the world’s largest shamrock. It is an impressive feat as the shamrock is just over 335 metres and has the iconic bright green colour.

11. Is the oldest parade really in Florida?

Despite popular belief, the oldest St. Patrick’s Day parade may have taken place in Florida, not New York City. The first St Patrick’s Day parade was in St Augustine in Florida.

The first parade was held on March 17, 1601, in St Augustine at the direction of Ricardo Artur, the Spanish colony’s Irish churchman.

12. Where in the world is St Patrick’s Day the biggest celebration?

While the obvious answer may be Ireland, the holiday actually takes on larger significance in the U.S. However, the largest celebration may actually be in Montserrat in the Caribbean. This is the only place other than Ireland where St Patrick’s Day is a public holiday.

The history of the holiday is both happy and painful as it is a reminder of the vicious ways the Irish treated the enslaved Africans, but it also is a celebration of everyone’s Irish history as they wouldn't be on the island without it. It’s a seven day long celebration with lots of drinking, dancing and fun colours.

13. Where in the world was there snake racing for the holiday?

In San Francisco, the holiday used to be celebrated with none other than ‘snake racing.’ Who doesn’t love green snakes competing for the snakeskin? The San Francisco tradition was held from 1964 to 1988.

It’s ironic because there is a rumour that St Patrick is the reason there are no snakes in Ireland because the saint’s homily was powerful enough to drive all of the island’s slithering creatures into the sea. The real truth is that there were never snakes in Ireland because of the ice age.

14. When did the colour change from blue to green?

The original colour for St Patrick’s Day was actually blue up until 1798 since blue was a common colour during the time. Blue was featured on Irish flags and also in the royal court.

However, the colour changed to green as the Irish started to wear more green in opposition to the British clothing of red during the Irish Rebellion.

15. What is the world’s largest human shamrock?

Eldridge Park in New York takes the cake for largest human shamrock as 1,200 Elmira residents joined together to create the outline of the iconic shamrock. The Guinness World Records feat of 800 participants with Dublin school boys in 2013 was broken.

The participants at Eldridge Park made sure of the Guinness World Records guidelines and all the participants wore green ponchos and stood still for five minutes as the headcount took place.

16. Speaking of Guinness World Records, how much Guinness is consumed on St Patrick’s Day?

Each year on St Patrick’s Day, 13 million pints of Guinness are consumed across the world. Compared to the rest of the days of the year, this is an 819% increase for the beer.

The holiday sees people spend about $43 on drinks overall, including Guinness and any other fun concoctions to celebrate the festivities.

17. What does Green Eggs and Ham have in common with St. Patrick’s Day?

In the ‘Irish capital of Nebraska,’ O’Neill, the Dr. Seuss' book is read during a large celebration as the iconic meal is served to guests, with what they boast is the world's largest shamrocks painted on the street. The festivities also include a large parade and a fresh coat of paint on the shamrock.

Green eggs and ham is a fun meal to make on the holiday with a pop of green for breakfast, lunch or even dinner. The meal has become a popular way to celebrate the holiday in as much green fun as possible.