St. Patrick's Day is here! Typically, we associate the holiday with drinking, drinking, and drinking. Oh, and being Irish and green things.
But there's a lot more to St. Patrick's Day than most people know. Truthfully, you've probably been living a lie. When you learn all the facts, this holiday actually kind of... sucks.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but here are 10 brutally honest facts about St. Patrick's Day.
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St. Patrick's Day as we know it was invented in America.
Really?! Catholic University's Irish American expert, Timothy Meagher, explains that St. Patrick's Day celebrations began in the 18th century in American cities with large Irish immigrant populations."It becomes a way to honor the saint but also to confirm ethnic identity and to create bonds of solidarity," Meagher explained. Really.
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St. Patrick didn't drive all the snakes from Ireland.
Probably because there's no evidence that snakes have EVER existed in Ireland. The climate is much too chilly for them.
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St. Patrick's Day used to be a dry holiday.
Today's booze-bags look to the holiday as a great excuse to start drinking Guinness at 9 AM. Until 1970, however, all pubs in Ireland were closed in observance of the religious feast day.
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Corned beef and cabbage isn't a traditional Irish dish.
It's just about as Irish as spaghetti and meatballs. You're better off sticking to Guinness.
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There are more Irish people living in the U.S. than Ireland.
The population of Ireland is about 4.2. million. In contrast, there are around 34 MILLION people of Irish descent living in America.
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Ouch.
But let's end on a happy note. At least these two guys are Irish.
Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!
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