It's St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! It's that fun day of year when you can pinch your friends (not wearing green) without getting in trouble, run around the school yard in search of four-leaf clovers for luck and, seek out leprechauns who will hopefully lead you to that elusive pot of gold. So who was St. Patrick and how did all these fun traditions begin on the day of his death anniversary? Read on.

Saint Patrick - The Person Responsible For All The Fun

Believe it or not, St. Patrick was not Irish. Born somewhere along the west coast of Britain in 385AD, he was captured and sold to a sheep farmer in Ireland, when he was 16 years old. At the age of 22, he escaped and spent the next 12 years in a British monastery. In his early 30's he returned to Ireland as a missionary, trying to convert the Irish people to Christianity, and remained there until he died, on March 17th, 461AD. According to historians, he was largely forgotten until centuries and it was not until the 7th Century that he was honored as a Patron Saint of Ireland.

Blue Not Green, Was the Original Color

While today, one can get pinched for not wearing green, the original color associated with St. Patrick was blue. Green was adopted in the 19th Century because it represents spring, life and most importantly, the shamrock.

As far as the 'pinch' tradition, nobody really knows how it originated - Some believe it was started because pinching gives a green bruise, while others seems to think it is an American tradition believed to have come from the myth that wearing green made one invisible to leprechauns - the pinch apparently was a reminder to beware these wily creatures.

How to Catch that Sneaky Leprechaun

According to Irish mythology, the Leprechaun, (whose name comes from the mixture of 'small person' and 'one shoemaker') is a small fairy that knows the location of a pot of gold. But to get to that, you have to not only find and catch him, but also, threaten him. Apparently, the best way to find this sneaky little guy, is to nab him while he is repairing shoes - and even after that be careful, for he is crafty enough to escape!

President Obama is Partly Irish!

Turns out that thanks to his mother's Irish heritage, US President, Barack Obama, is partly Irish. Besides exchanging shamrocks with White House officials this morning, the first family will also host an evening reception featuring a traditional Irish band and if rumors are to be believed honey wheat 'Irish' beer brewed by none other than the President himself.

While there is no word if the beer is going to be green, the White House fountain will definitely be sprouting out some green water, a tradition that began when the Obama family moved in, two years ago.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of you! Hope you are able to find that luck clover and pesky Leprechaun - Be sure to let us know if he leads you to that pot of gold.

Resources: National Geographic.com, npr.org,