![\"StPatricksDay\"](\"\/\/www.surfnetkids.com\/stpatricksday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/StPatricksDay-e1393393849401.jpg\")
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St. Patrick Day\u2019s is a whimsical holiday that is just plain fun. Between shamrocks, rainbows (complete with a pot of gold) and those mischievous leprechauns, there is just a lot to like about St. Patrick\u2019s Day. However, while most people know about the wearing of the green to avoid those annoying pinches, there is lots more to this Irish based holiday. Here are 10 fun things you may not know about St. Patrick’s Day-<\/p>\n
1. It\u2019s not a public holiday everywhere-<\/strong>St. Patrick\u2019s Day is only celebrated as a public holiday in a few places around the world. Of course it is a national holiday in Ireland, along with the small nations of Newfoundland, Labrador and the tiny Caribbean nation of Montserrat. While it is one of the most widely celebrated holidays around the world, everywhere else it is a regular day for work or school.<\/p>\n 2. Shamrocks are not just for picking-<\/strong>On St. Patrick\u2019s Day; many of the Irish will wear a small nosegay of shamrocks on the hats or coats. School age children will wear badges of orange, white and green, while most girls and women will wear green ribbons in their hair.<\/p>\n 3. There\u2019s always a parade-<\/strong>The parade is the most common aspect of St. Patrick\u2019s Day celebrations across the world. From Dublin, the capital of Ireland to San Francisco, people pour out to view and be in the St. Patrick\u2019s Day parades. Many of the parades in the United States are over 100 years old, making it a family tradition for many families to watch the parade together on St. Patrick\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n 4. It wasn\u2019t always green-<\/strong>You may be surprised to learn that the original color of St. Patrick\u2019s Day was blue! The color of green didn\u2019t become associated with St. Patrick\u2019s Day until way into the 19th century. The Irish people believed green was the sign of life and rebirth, and was the color that was worn by fairies and leprechauns.<\/p>\n 5. There never were snakes in Ireland-<\/strong>One of the most famous stories about St. Patrick is that he drove all of the snakes out of Ireland, and into the sea where they drowned. While there is no denying that this makes for an exciting story, the reality is that scientist have never found any evidence that snakes ever lived in Ireland. Most likely the snakes in the story represented something else.<\/p>\n