Why do people wear green on Saint Patrick's Day?

Why do people wear green on Saint Patrick's Day?

Why do people wear green on Saint Patrick's Day?

Answer:
Wearing the Green
Here are some suggested explanations:

• "The colors of the Republic of Ireland are a tricolor of green, white, and orange. The orange supposedly represents the Protestant population, the green the Catholic, and the white the peace between them. (Let's just leave Northern Ireland out of this.) Protestants don't celebrate saint's days. So the wearing of green is a symbol of Saint Patrick's day and then Ireland, the Emerald Isle, in general. The day as a holiday with parades, green beer etc. is more of an American tradition than Irish, and of course on St. Paddy's day everyone is Irish." 
  

• One of the reasons that one wears green on St. Patrick's Day is because the Catholic side of Ireland is identified with green, and St. Patrick is a Catholic Saint credited with converting the island to Christianity. Whereas the Protestants are identified with orange, and are often called "Orangemen", as in King William the Orange. The clashes in Ireland between the Catholics and Protestants are often clashes of the green and the orange. The irony is that the Irish flag, is supposed to represent the unity of the two with the white between the two colors represnting unity. The traditional pinching of a person who wears orange on St. Patrick's Day is a mild form of the violence that has so often occured in the past as both factions have had St. Patrick's Day marches/parades.
  

• In Ireland there is actually very little preference to green at the parades, maybe a few novelty hats but not much more. Wearing green is an American thing. 
  
  
• So they don't get pinched silly. 
  
  
• I don't know why the wearing of certain colors originated, but in Ireland, you only wear green if you are Catholic. Protestants all wear orange. The US does not observe this tradition. 
  
  
• The reason Irish people wear green was that just before the 1798 Rebellion in Ireland if you wore a shamrock in your hat it signified your support for the Rebellion. Hence the saying "the wearing of the green". Green was also the colour of "Society of United Irishmen", a republician revoluntionary organisation. This organisation launched the 1798 Rebellion and may I add that the forefathers/founders of this Organisation, despite public misconception were a mixture of Presbyterians, Church of Ireland and Catholics. 
  
  
• The wearing of Green stems from the ancient Celtic practice of wearing green during the Vernal Equinox to celebrate the rebirth of the Earth. When Christianity invaded Ireland, many of the Irish traditions were adopted into practice, to make conversion easier. Saint Patrick included using bonfires and adopted the symbol of the sun onto the cross, creating what is now known as the Celtic Cross. Since the local Pagan population was hesitant to give up wearing green, that too was adopted. It should be noted that St. Patrick's original color was blue. 
  
  
• It's very fun to wear green and you don't get pinched!! 
  
  
• Ireland is a very lush and green country.
  

• Green is one of the colors of the Republic of Ireland. The other two colors are white and orange. Green represents Catholics, orange represents Protestants, and white represents the peace between the two religions. However, Protestants don't celebrate saints. So, Saint Patrick's Day is originally a day in which Catholics celebrate St. Patrick, a Christian missionary and patron of Ireland. However, today Americans of all races come together to celebrate this holiday full of fun activities and superstitions.
  

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Shamrocks

Symbol of Ireland



Drawing of the medal awarded to the First Magherafelt Volunteers for skill with broadsword showing shamrocks.
As St. Patrick is Ireland's patron saint, shamrock has been used as a symbol of Ireland since the 18th century, in a similar way to how a rose is used for England, thistle for Scotland and leek for Wales. The shamrock first began to change from a symbol purely associated with St. Patrick to an Irish national symbol when it was taken up as an emblem by rival militias, during the turbulent politics of the late eighteenth century. On one side were the Volunteers (also known as the Irish Volunteers), who were local militias in late 18th century Ireland, raised to defend Ireland from the threat of French and Spanish invasion when regular British soldiers were withdrawn from Ireland to fight during the American Revolutionary War.^[26] On the other side were revolutionary nationalist groups, such as the United Irishmen.
Among the Volunteers, examples of the use of the shamrock include its appearance on the guidon of the Royal Glin Hussars formed in July 1779 by the Knight of Glin, and its appearance on the flags of the Limerick Volunteers, the Castle Ray Fencibles and the Braid Volunteers ^[27]. ^[28] The United Irishmen adopted green as their revolutionary colour and wore green uniforms or ribbons in their hats, and the green concerned was often associated with the shamrock. The song The Wearing of the Green commemorated their exploits and various versions exist which mention the shamrock. The Erin go bragh flag was used as their standard and was often depicted accompanied by shamrocks, and in 1799 a revolutionary journal entitled The Shamroc briefly appeared in which the aims of the rebellion were supported. ^[29]


Rose thistle and shamrock motif on gate pillar atBuckingham Palace
Since the 1801 Act of Union between Britain and Ireland the shamrock was incorporated into the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom, depicted growing from a single stem alongside the rose of England, and the thistle of Scotland to symbolise the unity of the three kingdoms. Since then the shamrock has regularly appeared alongside the rose, thistle and (sometimes) leek for Wales in British coins such as the shilling and crown, and in stamps. The rose, thistle and shamrock motif also appears regularly on British public buildings such as Buckingham Palace.
Throughout the nineteenth century the popularity of the shamrock as a symbol of Ireland grew, and it was depicted in many illustrations on items such as book covers and St. Patrick's Day postcards. It was also mentioned in many songs and ballads of the time. For example a popular ballad called The Shamrock Shore lamented the state of Ireland in the nineteenth century. ^[30] Another typical example of such a ballad appears in the works of Thomas Moore whose Oh the Shamrock embodies the Victorian spirit of sentimentality. It was immensely popular and contributed to raising the profile of the shamrock as an image of Ireland: ^[31]


Irish American Music sheet


St Patrick's Day postcard 1912

Oh The Shamrock-Through Erin's Isle,To sport awhile,As Love and Valor wander'dWith Wit, the sprite,Whose quiver brightA thousand arrows squander'd.Where'er they pass,A triple grassShoots up, with dew-drops streaming,As softly greenAs emeralds seenThrough purest crystal gleaming.Oh the Shamrock, the green immortal Shamrock!Chosen leafOf Bard and Chief,Old Erin's native Shamrock!

Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the shamrock continued to appear in a variety of settings. ^[32] For example, the shamrock appeared on many buildings in Ireland as a decorative motif, such as on the facade of the Kildare Street Club building in Dublin, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (Roman Catholic), and the Harp and Lion Bar in Listowel, Co. Kerry. It also appears on street furniture, such as old lamp standards like those inMountjoy Square in Dublin, and on monuments like the Parnell Monument, and the O'Connell Monument, both in O'Connell Street, Dublin. Shamrocks also appeared on decorative items such as glass, china, jewellery, poplin and Irish lace. Belleek Pottery in Co. Fermanagh, for example regularly features shamrock motifs.


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