St. Patrick's Day is almost here! Time to don those four-leafed clovers and green clothes. On St. Patrick's Day green is everywhere! People literally paint their town green (with mops!) and even dye rivers and fountains green. Don't forget to wish your family and friends a Happy St. Patrick's Day! Send beautiful green flowers or a green houseplant to lift their spirits! Here are some interesting facts about St. Paddy's Day to get you in the mood for green!

St. Patrick's Day Facts

• In Ireland, people where shamrocks on their jackets and caps on Saint Patrick's Day
• Dublin has a 5 day Saint Patrick's Day Festival that includes parades, carnivals, music, dancing and more!
• North American Parades are usually held the Sunday before March 17th. 
• Since 1962, the Chicago river has been turned green for Saint Patrick's Day. 
• Seattle, WA paints their street stripes green for the St. Patrick's Day holiday.
• For the past 2 years, the fountain in front of the White House has been dyed green.
• The 1737 Saint Patrick's Day parade in Boston, MA was the first in the US colonies and the world!
• St. Patrick was born in 385 A.D.
• St. Patrick had a vision that told him to go preach Christianity to the Irish, which he did.
• One of the most well-known Saint Patrick legends is that he drove all the snakes from Ireland into the sea. 
• Saint Patrick used the shamrock to teach the Christian trinity. 
• The original color associated with Saint Patrick is blue.
• Green is the color most commonly associated with Ireland, aka "The Emerald Isles."
• The word Leprechaun comes from the Irish Gaelic word 'leipreachan' meaning "a kind of aqueous sprite."
• The highest number of leaves found on a clover is 14, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
• There are 10,000 regular three leafed clovers for ever 1 four leafed clover.
• Each leaf of a clover means something special: hope, faith, love and the fourth is luck!
• When drinking their Irish stout, you can often hear St. Patrick's Day celebrators toasting "Slainté" meaning 'health.' 
• The New York City St. Patrick's Day parade, beginning in 1762, is the longest running civilian parade in the world, 
• In 1940 St. Patrick's Day was observed on April 3rd, and in 2008, it was observed on March 14th to avoid coinciding with Holy Week. This won't happen again until 2160. 
• The St. Patrick's Day Test is an international rugby tournament between the US and Ireland. 
• In Newfoundland and Labrador Canada, St. Patrick's Day is observed as a public holiday. 
• Montserrat, aka the "Emerald Isles of the Caribbean," was founded by Irish refugees. It is the only place, apart from Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador that celebrates St. Patrick's Day as a public holiday.
• March is Irish-American heritage month.