If you are like me, then you like to know as much as you can about a holiday in order to celebrate it to the fullest. Before you don your greenest outfit and brew up a green concoction, read on for some interesting nuggets of information about the Irish holiday!

• Individuals of Irish heritage wear green on Saint Patrick’s Day as an ode to the lush green countryside of Ireland. They participate in festivities in order to honor the memory of Saint Patrick and also to show their love of Ireland to the rest of the world.

• The largest (and longest in duration) Saint Patrick’s Day parade in the world is held in New York City every year. Leading the parade are the mascots of the New York National Guard infantry regiment (also known as the Fighting 69th), which are two Irish wolfhounds. The dogs are followed by more than 100 bands and 100,000 marchers.

• The Chicago River is dyed green on Saint Patrick’s Day as a tribute to the holiday.

• In Dublin there is a Saint Patrick’s Day festival that runs from March 15 to 19 and features a parade, a dance, family carnivals, treasure hunts, theatre, etc.

• Boston, Massachusetts, has held a parade every year since 1737.

• The longest running Saint Patrick’s Day parade in Canada is held in Montreal, Quebec. This parade got its start in 1824.

• The symbol for Ireland is the harp. The color green has become synonymous with Ireland, as it is often referred to as “the Emerald Isle.”

• The flag of Ireland is made up of three colors- green, orange and white. Green stands for the people of the south while orange represents the people of the north. White stands for peace and unity as a nation.

• The population of Ireland is 4.1 million.

• An estimated 34 million American citizens have Irish ancestry.

• There are many towns in the United States that have Irish names. Some of these include Shamrock, Oklahoma, Dublin, California, and Shamrock Lakes, Indiana.

• According to legend, every leaf on a clover stands for something. The first leaf is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for (No surprise here!) luck.

• It is estimated that for every four-leaf clover (the lucky one) there are 10,000 three-leaf clovers in existence.

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