(Newswire.net — March 17, 2017) — Saint Patrick’s Day is a global celebration of Irish culture. The day is celebrated in Ireland and across the globe, especially in the UK, America, Canada and Australia.
Interestingly, Saint Patrick is technically not even a Saint as he was never canonized by the church. Also, “St Patrick was actually not born Irish but is believed to have grown up in Roman Britain”, according to the UK Mirror.
But on March 17, even the Lenten restrictions on eating meat and drinking alcohol are relaxed so people can rejoice in this holiday. This day also gives Guinness a reason to celebrate as its consumption rises from 5.5 million pints which are drunk daily around the world to 13 million pints which go down the throats of St. Patty’s day celebrants worldwide in that one single day, the Daily Telegraph reports.
According to the investment research firm Zacks St. Patrick’s Day is the fourth biggest drinking day in the U.S., after New Year’s Eve, Christmas, and the Fourth of July, Time Money reports.
Celebrants crowd into bars across the world from as early as 9 a.m., but there are also iconic sights around the globe made to glow green in tribute to the Irish.
New York just had its 256th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade where hundreds of thousands of St. Patrick’s Day revelers turned New York City into a sea of green as they marched through the city center.
The Chicago River has been turning green each year for more than four decades, but only for five hours.
Even Japan goes really big on St. Patrick’s day.
So here are some unusual facts surrounding the day which is a global celebration of Irish culture.
The traditional symbol of Saint Patrick’s Day is the Shamrock, a three-leafed plant which the Irish have considered as a symbol of good-luck since the earliest times.
If you are lucky enough to find a four-leaf clover, you’re in for some good luck according to the Irish. Furthermore, witchcraft holds no power over you as you are entirely protected by this mythical plant. But you must keep it to yourself as the luck only lasts for so long as you don’t show anyone your clover.
For those who are not so lucky to come by a shamlock, the Irish have thought of a way to boost their self-confidence in cards and gambling, so apparently all one needs is a crooked pin carried inside one’s coat.
However, gaining the luck of the Irish is not as easy as it sounds as there are also bad luck omens in their culture.
If your left-hand itches, a pot of gold may be on your way. However, if it’s your right hand that itches, although you probably won’t make any money, you will gain a new friend.
When cleaning up the mess from March 17 make sure you do not drop the dishtowel, unless you are ready to welcome an unexpected visitor.
Even hair is included in the Irish myths – however, it can go both ways. If you decide to have a haircut under the moonlight, you will gain some good luck out of the treatment. However, you are in for some bad luck if you accept a hair lock from your lover, as some would apparently consider this as a romantic gesture.
For the romantics who desire to know who they will marry, the Irish legend says that if you put a snail on a plate of flour, cover it and leave it overnight, the snail will carve out the initials of your future mate by the time you wake up.
A widely-known omen is that it’s bad luck when a black cat crosses your path, but the Irish have even thought of a way around this. Apparently, all you need to do to neutralize this bad omen is to make a triangle with your thumbs and pointer fingers and spit in the direction of the cat. Possibly not directly at the harmless animal but rather in a more general direction.
They have also covered eating rituals, as one must never gift a knife to someone he or she holds dear, as it will cut through the relationship. In fact, one should not even hand someone a knife, not even to cut food, as this will bring bad luck. Instead if someone asks for a knife, one should place it on the table near them and let them pick it up themselves.
Superstitious or not, the entire globe rejoices in this holiday and after all, Saint Patrick is also said to have performed miracles, other than building churches across Ireland.
Stay safe and remember when coming back home this evening that throwing your shoes on your way home from a party will bring you good luck, according to the Irish legend.