St. Patrick's Day is certainly the most important holiday in the eyes of many Irish people. In fact, it's a national holiday in Ireland. But it's also celebrated in other parts of the world, such as France. Celebrated every March 17, it's a time to get together, party, drink Guinness (in moderation) and dress... in green, with a leprechaun costume, for example, and don your little Irishshamrock! But why do you have to wear green on St. Patrick's Day?
Originally, the color worn by the Irish on St. Patrick's Day was not green, but... blue. In fact, in 1783, an Anglo-Irish chivalric order called St. Patrick's Day chose blue as the color of its flag. In fact, the old Irish flags were blue.
But, over the years, St. Patrick' s Day has evolved, moving away from the religious aspect to focus on the cultural aspect and thus the Irish nation, even if the name St. Patrick's Day has remained.
So, how did we go from blue to green? We have to go back to the end of the 18th century to better understand this change. In 1798, Ireland was still occupied by the British, who were fighting against the Society of United Irishmen, whose flag was green. A color that earned those who wore it persecution from the British. But in 1921, once the British occupation was over, Ireland naturally decided to adopt green as the symbol of the nation.
Other legends also tell us that the color green refers to the nickname given to Ireland,"the Emerald Isle", because of its verdant landscapes.
Today, although blue remains an important color in Ireland, green is undeniably associated with St. Patrick's Day, and is worn with honor and pride every March 17.
In fact, green was the color of the day every March 17 in cities all over the world, and not just in Ireland. The city of Chicago, for example, didn't hesitate to pour green dye into its river in honor of the holiday. In Paris, monuments such as the Sacré-Coeur and the Moulin Rouge have already gone green.
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