Happy St. Patrick's Day

According to the Census Bureau one in ten Americans claim Irish heritage.  I had my DNA done to help out a family member who is into genealogy, and it showed I have quite a bit of Irish ancestry.  

In Ireland the traditions differ from here in America.  In Ireland St. Patrick's Day is a religious holiday with parades, music, and Irish foods.  In America it's mostly green beer and corned beef with cabbage.  Wearing green began there with wearing a shamrock or clover to church.  Green wasn't even the color associated with St. Patrick, that was blue, St. Patrick's Blue!

Remember the school yard pinch if you didn't wear green on St. Patrick's Day?  That did start on American schoolyards! It began with "If you don't wear green the leprechauns will pinch you," because you wouldn't be invisible to them. Naturally that quickly became pinching for the leprechauns, because what child doesn't love an excuse to pinch a schoolmate!  That's probably not allowed anymore.   

Oh, never let an Irish person hear you say St. Patty's Day!  Patty is short of the Patricia.  The correct way to shorten Patrick (Irish spelling Pádraig) is Paddy.