Are you wearing green today? When I was a kid, anyone who showed up for school on St. Patrick’s Day without at least one bit of green got an (affectionate, but hard) pinch! Everyone’s a little bit Irish today, so what’s the origin of that famous Irish emerald color? St. Patrick, a Catholic priest, was one of the first missionaries to go to Ireland in an attempt to convert the people there. At first the color of his order was blue, but eventually Patrick had a brainstorm that changed everything. Patrick had the bright idea of using the ubiquitous three-leafed Shamrock to explain the holy trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost to the Irish people. The plants, and their brilliant green color, came to be a symbol of St. Patrick, and eventually of Ireland itself. And now you know! Put on some green, and hope for the luck of the Irish!
