Wearing of the green
Originally, the colour
associated with Saint Patrick was blue. Over the years
the colour green and its association with Saint Patrick's Day grew. Green
ribbons and shamrocks were worn in
celebration of St Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century. Saint Patrick is
said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish, and the
ubiquitous wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs has
become a feature of the day. In the 1798 rebellion, to make a political
statement, Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on 17 March in hopes of
catching public attention. The phrase "the wearing of the green",
meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing, derives from a song of the same name.
