Most holidays have colors associated with them. Christmas prefers red and green. Valentine’s Day loves red, of course. And St. Patrick’s Day insists on green.
But that wasn’t always the case.
St. Patrick’s Day used to be symbolized by a different color: blue. But by the 19th century, green became the permanent color associated with the holiday. (Can you imagine blue beer? Green beer is bad enough!)
And did you know:
In Irish legends, fairies and immortals donned green. It was also worn by Irish folk as a way of encouraging their crops to grow.
Green, like all colors, has a certain psychological effect on us as well. Green connotes renewal, harmony and self-control (yeah, right. Next green beer is on me).
Conversely, certain shades of green can conjure up feelings of institutions and illness. (Lime green anyone?)
Green is also second only to blue as the most liked color as well as the color of money in the US, which we seem to like a lot as well.
Send a touch of green your Irish and non-Irish friends and family by sending one of our St. Patrick’s Day ecards.
Top of the morning to you and yours!