by L.S. Watts

Created on: March 17, 2009   Last Updated: February 24, 2012

It is said that if you wear green on St. Patrick's Day you will have good luck all day. This is a tradition not only for the United States, but other countries as well. However, it isn't as big of a deal in Ireland like it is in other countries. In fact, up until the 1970s most business closed on March 17 for religious observance. It wasn't until 1995 that Ireland decided to capitalize on the St. Patrick's Day trend to boost tourism.

Actually, according to Irish traditions, it is said that wearing green attracts evil, especially evil fairies. It is said that fairies wear green and anyone wears green will be susceptible to their evil influence. In fact there is a saying originating in the British Isles that says "anyone who wears green will have to wear black soon afterwards."

I personally think it is just hype. Luck is what you make of it really. If you believe in the superstition of wearing green on St. Patrick's Day brings you luck then it will bring you luck. If you have any doubt whatsoever, then it won't really matter. I think most people will agree it is just for show. Some people find it fun and adventurous while others are just annoyed by it as I am at times.

For me, personally, if I feel like wearing green I will. Most of the time, I am not all that concerned about whether I am wearing green because I can celebrate my Irish heritage in other ways. Occasionally, there may be a party or get-together that is themed green for St. Patrick's Day and I would be willing to wear some green for the occasion.

Growing up it was a huge deal, especially if St. Patrick's Day fell on a school day. You can almost guarantee getting pinched if you weren't wearing green. These weren't friendly pinches either. Kids can be mean and so are their pinches. Apparently having green eyes or wearing green underwear doesn't count. Some adults are like this too, which I find rather immature to begin with.

However, even the tradition of pinching has history. The Irish flag is green, white, and orange. For those that participate in wearing any color, there are traditions behind it. The Catholic wear green and the Protestants wear orange. So the flag represents the Catholic, the Protestants, and the peace that is supposed to be between them. So where does the pinching come into play? Well, it is supposed to be a mild act of violence to represent the feud between the Catholics and the Protestants.

Wearing green is supposed to be a representation of celebrating the Irish culture. Like I said earlier, I can celebrate my Irish heritage in other ways. Every St. Patrick's Day we celebrate by trying to learn something new about our roots. This includes folklore and remembering our ancestors. Most of all, we fix traditional foods that have roots in Ireland.

So the bottom line is that I don't really worry too much about wearing green on St. Patrick's Day. If I do, I do. If I don't, I don't. It really doesn't matter to me. To be honest, I don't really own that much green and don't plan to make a special trip just for St. Patrick's Day.

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