11 Things You Probably Didn't Know About St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick was actually British, born to Roman parents in either Scotland or Wales (no one is exactly sure which). After being forced into slavery by Irish pirates, he turned to his Christian faith and became one of the first people to bring the religion to the country in the fifth century, around the year 432.

This is according to Irish legend. He changed it to the Latin name Patricius after becoming a priest.

Historians say that St. Patrick's color was blue, not green. The use of green on the holiday became common during the 1600s and 1700s, when the clover became a symbol of nationalism and wearing green on lapels became the norm.

On St. Patrick’s Day 2018, Americans were estimated to have spent a record-breaking $5.9 billion, with the average person paying $39.65. But it wasn't always such a party holiday...

Up until the 1970s, St. Patrick's Day was considered a religious holiday in Ireland, meaning all the pubs in the country were closed, thanks to a law written by Parliament member James O'Mara. However, Ireland later realized that they could attract lots of tourists for the holiday, and the (green) beer was suddenly free-flowing.

According to recent census data, there are 39.6 million Americans who list their heritage as primarily or partially Irish, compared to 6.3 million people in Ireland.

St. Patrick reportedly used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity, but later interpretations also said the three leaves are meant to symbolize hope, love, and faith. If there's a fourth leaf, it symbolizes luck, which is why we consider four-leaf clovers to be lucky.

Corned beef and cabbage has long been considered a special St. Patrick's Day dish, but it isn't traditionally Irish. Pork was actually the preferred meat of Ireland, but early Irish immigrants to America found that beef was much cheaper, and they could easily cook the beef and cabbage in one pot.

Some Irish legends claim that St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland after being attacked. Historians and biologists say this probably isn't true, since there were likely never many snakes in Ireland to begin with, but we'll let St. Paddy have this one.

Every year since 1962, the city dyes the river green using 40 pounds of powder, which reacts with the water to produce a green color. Don't worry, it's environmentally-friendly!

Boston is where many Irish immigrants settled once they arrived in America, and the Irish spirit is still alive and well in the city. It hosts one of the biggest celebrations in the U.S., drawing around a million people to the parade, which is usually about 3 miles. In contrast, Arkansas hosts one of the shortest St. Patrick's Day parades in Hot Springs National Park — it's only 98 feet!