6 St Patrick’s Day traditions that you’ve probably never heard of

Ok, so you know about eating cabbage and corned beef on St Patrick’s Day (although the latter is actually an Ameican tradition, not Irish). But there’s another food you should be trying on the big day – soda bread. If you’re baking your own loaf, you should always, always make sure to score the top of it. Why? Because the Irish believe in “letting the devil out” of it. While it's unclear where this theory stems from, it's probably best to cover your back. So you know, let him out.

We all know the cheeky chappies who go running around chuckling, right? Well, they're based on Celtic fairies, so your chances of seeing a real one are very, very slim. However, in New London, Connecticut you may have more luck. The leprechauns run around the city and change all the signs to “New Dublin” for the day on March 17, including the highways.

Yeah, the ‘traditional’ green clothing is incorrect. Saint Patrick’s robes were blue, not green (so sorry Chicago, you shouldn't be dying your rivers that color either). Also, while dying your food may be fun, it actually represents something pretty sad. Back in the 1840s, the potato famine was at its height in Ireland. As a result, people were so starved that they had to resort to eating grass. So maybe let’s shelve the food coloring for now.

St Patrick’s Day parades pop off all over the world, from Japan to the US, Australia to Wales. In fact, NASA footage has previously shown astronaut Chris Hadfield singing ‘Danny Boy’ from the International Space Station, while their official Twitter account posted images of an Irish flag from above the country in 2020. Maybe they even caught sight of the world's shortest parade, which is held between two pubs in the Irish village of Dripsey and lasts just 100 yards.

Glugging beers and drowning shamrocks in whiskey seem synonymous with this holiday, but that’s for us modern-day merrymakers. In actuality, March 17 was historically a day of solemn religious commitments in Ireland, and it was only in 1961 when the laws changed that bars would serve alcohol during Lent. So if you want to keep things traditional, really you should only be drinking water. Probably won’t be as fun though, sorry.

Ever wondered why people say, “kiss me, I’m Irish”? That comes from the legend of Blarney Stone, a tradition that's been around for several centuries. Apparently, by placing your lip upon it, you’ll be given the gift of eloquence and persuasiveness. Since we don’t all have access to it, apparently kissing an Irish person is just as good. But we’re not sure how that correlates?