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Feeling lucky? 10 St. Patrick's Day fun facts

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner! Test your intellect with these unusual facts and find out how much you know about the luck of the Irish.
Freelance // Freelance

Four-leaf clover

Four-leaf clover Next Slide

Clover tattoos may not have garnered worldwide recognition, but they are very popular among those of Irish descent. Tattoos that feature a four-leaf clover are a universal symbol of good luck; this clover is considered to be the rarest on the planet.
Source: Tattoo Mixer

Send a St. Patrick's Day E-card Greeting

1 of 11 Melissa Lyttle/ZUMA Press/Corbis

Emerald green

Previous Slide Emerald green Next Slide

Irish eyes are smiling this year, thanks to the color experts at Pantone who named emerald green its 2013 Color of the Year. The color green is said to represent good luck.

2 of 11 Pantone LLC/AP

Lucky rabbit’s foot

Previous Slide Lucky rabbit’s foot Next Slide

10 famous rabbits:
Bugs Bunny
Duracell Bunny
Peter Rabbit
Br’er Rabbit
“Watership Down” bunnies
Thumper (from “Bambi”)
Roger Rabbit/Jessica Rabbit
Dillon (from “The Magic Roundabout”)
White Rabbit (from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”)
Harvey
Source: Telewatcher

Send a St. Patrick's Day E-card Greeting

3 of 11 Steven Puetzer/Getty Images

Gold digger

Previous Slide Gold digger Next Slide

It is believed that there is one gold coin for every year of a leprechaun’s life in its pot.
Source: Socyberty

Send a St. Patrick's Day E-card Greeting

4 of 11 Jill Fromer/Getty Images

Green river

Previous Slide Green river Next Slide

As part of a more than 50-year tradition, the Chicago River turns green for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade celebration. The tradition of dyeing the river green arose by accident when some plumbers used fluorescein dye to trace sources of illegal pollution discharges. The dyeing of the river is still sponsored by the local plumbers union.

Send a St. Patrick's Day E-card Greeting

5 of 11 Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Lucky shamrock

Previous Slide Lucky shamrock Next Slide

The shamrock remains the premier symbol of the Irish people. Its powerful message stems from the legend of St. Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint, who used the simple trefoil (or clover) plant to illustrate the presence of God in the natural world. Each leaf of the shamrock was meant to represent the holy trinity – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Source: Irish Celtic Jewels

6 of 11 Fotosearch/Getty Images

Lucky friend

Previous Slide Lucky friend Next Slide

Did you know that actress Jennifer Aniston had her first feature film role in the campy 1993 American horror comedy “Leprechaun”?
Source: IMDb

7 of 11 Supplied by WENN

Lucky horseshoe

Previous Slide Lucky horseshoe Next Slide

The horseshoe has been used to bring good luck to Irish newlyweds for centuries. In Irish history, the bride and groom hang their lucky horseshoe above a doorway, with its tips pointing upward. In this way, they gain the most power from the talisman. Brides carry it with them during their wedding ceremony, ensuring an auspicious wedding day and a blessed married life.
Source: Irish Celtic Jewels

8 of 11 Elliot, Elliot /Getty Images

Lucky leprechauns

Previous Slide Lucky leprechauns Next Slide

Irish leprechauns are always linked with pots of gold, rainbows and general mischief-making. Today, the leprechaun is still a powerful symbol of trickery and magic.
Source: Irish Celtic Jewels

9 of 11 Oleksiy Maksymenko/Getty Images

Itchy hands

Previous Slide Itchy hands Next Slide

Irish superstitions say that if the palm of your hand itches then you will be receiving money soon. If the top of your hand itches, you will be losing money.

10 of 11 Dr. J. Bodamer/Flickr/Getty Images
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william the researchers obviously do not know the definition of racism.
Mar 17, 2013 12:34PM
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St Pat's shamrock is a THREE leafed variety, used to demonstrate the Holy Trinity!
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william the researchers obviously do not know the definition of racism.
Mar 17, 2013 12:40PM
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Pagans thrived in Ireland until the 15C, long after Patrick lived and who himself had been a captured slave as a youth.  No 'mass murders!'. 

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MichiganerShel
Mar 17, 2013 10:09AM
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This one I believe. I'm very Irish. My palms itch a lot and a day or two later I always get money.
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BillyB333
Mar 17, 2013 6:43PM
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I myself once found a six leaf clover and it DID NOT bring me any luck AT ALL. SO AFTER ABOUT 5 years i burnt it!!!!!!!

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Karen Ratti
Mar 17, 2013 5:38PM
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St. Patrick used a 3 Leaf Clover to give the pagens in Ireland an illistration of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit - the Three in One.  You have posted a 4 leaf clover...  If your celebrating 'St. Patricks' Day, please be accurate. 

    

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Hypothetical
Mar 17, 2013 11:23AM
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Here's a St. Patrick's Day fun fact.
Were you aware that the "snakes" St. Patrick drove out of Ireland were not reptiles? They were human beings. Specifically they were followers of the Druidic faith.
Remember, every time you drink a green beer you are celebrating torture and mass murder in the name of an invisible guy in the sky.

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