St. Patrick's Day is a holiday celebrated on March 17th. It honors St. Patrick, who lived a very long time ago. He is the patron saint of Ireland. Even though St. Patrick wasn't Irish himself, he became an important figure in Irish history and culture. That's why Ireland made St. Patrick's Day a national holiday to celebrate Irish heritage.

People celebrate St. Patrick's Day all over the world, even in places without many Irish people! On March 17th, many cities have big parades with dancers, music, and floats. To celebrate, people wear green clothes, which represents Ireland's green hills and fields. Some other St. Patrick's Day symbols are leprechauns, shamrocks, pots of gold, and harps.

In Chicago, St. Patrick's Day is extra special as the city dyes the Chicago River bright green! Using an environmentally-friendly dye, the river turns into a dazzling emerald color. People gather along the riverbanks to witness this colorful transformation.

What is a leprechaun's favorite type of music?

Sham-rock and roll!

The White House fountain is dyed green every year in honor of St. Patrick's Day! This tradition started in 2009 when the Obama administration dyed the fountain on the South Lawn emerald green for the first time. They wanted to showcase a symbol of friendship with Ireland.

Lucky Charms is a popular breakfast cereal made by General Mills.

 This cereal was introduced in 1964.  Lucky the Leprechaun is the mascot for Lucky Charms. The trademark slogan is “They’re magically delicious!” 

This sweetened oat cereal features multi-colored marshmallow bits in fun shapes like: 

hearts 

moons

clovers 

horseshoes

Image Credits:

Chicago River by Ingi Finnsson from Pixabay

White House fountaing: https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1504487838200434691