Sunday, March 17, 2024
“Wear Green!”
Today is St. Patrick’s Day! Are you doing something special? According to a recent poll conducted by the National Retail Federation, 62% of Americans plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in 2024. The poll projects that consumers plan to spend $7.2 billion this year, averaging almost $44.40 per adult. Though I’ll be among the 62% celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, I don’t think I’ll spend $50. However, like so many others, I will be wearing enough green to not get pinched. What about you?
Most people are at least a little familiar with St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland who is credited with bringing Christianity to the country in the 5th Century. He used a shamrock to help explain the concept of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), but the tradition of wearing green didn’t occur for many years.
After years of fighting between England and Ireland, King Henry VIII of England declared himself to be the Irish King in 1541. He created a coat of arms for Ireland that included a golden harp on a blue background. One hundred years later (1641), Ireland rebelled, wearing green clovers to identify themselves with Saint Patrick and separate themselves from unpopular English rule. The Irish rebellion failed, but the tradition of wearing green shamrocks continued.
As Irish people began to settle in the United States, they brought their green shamrock tradition with them. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt joined the tradition by wearing a green shamrock on his lapel on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. In an article published at the time, FDR referenced a political opponent who was wearing blue instead of green, locking the tradition in place for the American people.
On this St. Patrick’s Day, wear something green. The green can be in honor of our Irish ancestors, in support of a popular American holiday, or in support of St. Patrick, whose work for the LORD has inspired hundreds of millions of people around the world. If you choose not to participate, don’t blame me if you get pinched by leprechauns!
“For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever.” (Psalm 37:28, ESV)
