Today is St. Patrick's Day
(Undated) -- Today is St. Patrick's Day. Named for the patron saint of Ireland, March 17th is the day St. Patrick is believed to have died around 490 A.D. There are many legends about him including that he drove the snakes out of Ireland and used the shamrock to explain the Trinity. Ireland came to celebrate his day with religious services and feasts. American cities with large numbers of Irish immigrants staged the most extensive celebrations and elaborate parades. Boston held its first St. Patrick's Day parade in 1737, followed by New York City in 1762. Many cities across the U.S. joined and added traditions of their own including Chicago, which has been dying its river green since 1962 to mark the holiday.
Harrisburg celebrates St. Patrick's Day tomorrow with a parade! Click here for more information!
St. Patrick’s Day: By the Numbers ... St. Patrick's Day is a big day for just about everyone. Just how big? Here are some facts and figures from WalletHub.
- 174% more beer and 153% more spirits are sold on March 17th than on an average day in America.
- 13 million pints of Guinness will be consumed worldwide today.
- 61% of Americans plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year.
- 80% of those celebrating will wear green.
- Overall, Americans spend $6.85 billion celebrating St. Pat
- It takes 50 pounds of dye to turn the Chicago River green, and it lasts just five hours.
- 36% of men admit to binge drinking on St. Patrick's Day.
- The average number of drinks consumed per person on St. Patrick’s Day is 4.2.
- There’s an 8.8% increase in cabbage shipments the week leading up to St. Patrick’s Day.
- 32% of Americans plan to cook a special meal for St. Patrick’s Day.
- 31.5 million Americans claim at least some Irish heritage, second only to German and 6.4 times Ireland's population.
- 20% of residents in New Hampshire have Irish ancestry.
- There are 10 cities in America named Dublin.