What is St. Patrick’s day? And what is this holiday? You might think of shamrocks or leprechauns but if you're like me I had no idea what this holiday was.
First things first in 2025 St. Patrick’s day falls on March 17. But who is St. Patrick? He is one of the patron saints of Ireland. According to a legend he brought Christianity to the island, made the shamrock fashionable and freed Ireland from the snakes.
The holiday marks his death and has been observed as a religious holiday in Ireland for over 1500 years.
That explains the shamrock but what about leprechauns? Apparently because they both trace their history to Ireland. But this brings up the question: what's the story behind this mischievous creature?
Well it will do anything to protect its gold. Most stories don’t mention anything about a rainbow but it could just be different versions.
Now you might be wondering if the leprechaun is good or evil and there isn’t really a clear answer. He is constantly moving his gold to keep it away from thieves. But if you catch a leprechaun he does have to hand over his gold.
In some tales the leprechaun is the son of evil spirits or corrupt fairies who are not good but not exactly evil either. Now if you really wanted to catch it, you can never take your eyes off it. In doing so, taking your eyes off will free the Leprechaun and vanish.
Apparently there are 236 leprechauns living in Ireland but that is debatable. This creature seems crazy, with its weakness a four-leaf clover.
To me this seems impossible but leprechauns are protected under the European Union law. Whether you believe in these creatures or not, have a happy St. Patrick’s day!
Credits:
Created with images by yanadjan - "Clover leaves. Shamrock. Selective focus. " • Pixel-Shot - "Cute dog with green hat on armchair. St. Patrick's Day celebration" • scrapster - "Print"