The Trend encourages you to break out your green clothes because St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) is almost here. Most of us welcome this holiday as an excuse to hang out with friends and family (and drink green beer). St. Patrick’s Day is generally thought of as a holiday celebrating Irish culture and heritage (which is partially true). The Trend wants you to know the origin of St. Patrick’s Day. It may be surprising to some how this holiday came about and why we wear green.

The history of St. Paddy’s Day starts with a British 16-year-old boy who was brought to Ireland by Irish Raiders. Patrick, the boy, grew up as a shepherd and at some point, finally managed to return home to his hometown. He then became a priest and came back to Ireland bringing Christianity.

Another reason to celebrate, according to an Irish myth, is because St. Patrick drove snakes out of Ireland. Ironically, there were never any snakes in Ireland to begin with because of Ireland’s geography. According to History.com the water that surrounds Ireland is too cold for snakes to swim there.

The trend of wearing green originated from when people would wear a shamrock on St. Patrick’s day. According to History.com, St. Patrick used shamrocks to illustrate the holy trinity. Irish folks would then wear the shamrock to represent their belief. Ultimately, people started to wear green instead of the shamrock.

The Trend recognizes that we often get caught up in celebrating we often overlook the origins of holidays. Whether or not you celebrate St. Patrick’s day, it’s interesting to know the history of this popular holiday. St. Patrick’s Day is also an opportunity for friends and families to get together.