A deeper look at the beloved Irish holiday
With about one-quarter of Canadians (4.5 million) who have some degree of Irish roots, it’s no wonder we embrace celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.
With the pandemic still in place, people who wish to celebrate the Irish holiday may be out of luck. However, since we can’t go out, let’s take a closer look at common beliefs and traditions to separate fact from fiction.
For example, St. Patrick’s Day was not always associated with the colour green. Originally, the official colour identified with St. Patrick was sky blue. George III created the Order of St. Patrick, which was a new order of chivalry for Ireland. The colour was known as “St. Patrick’s Blue.” According to early Irish mythology, a woman wearing a blue robe often represented the Irish sovereignty.