THE WEARING OF THE GREEN
Sylvia Christianson, Guest Blogger
Most of us wear green on St. Patrick's Day
but have you ever wondered why? You may
think it's because Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle. Or maybe you think it all started with St.
Patrick, but believe it or not, St. Patrick was originally associated with the
color blue! So, where did the idea of
wearing green to represent Ireland come from and when did the wearing of the
green become a tradition? Even more
importantly, why?
For that we have to go back to the
1700s. Influenced by both the American
Revolution and the French Revolution, a revolutionary group of Irish men and
women, known as the United Irishmen rose up against British rule in 1798 during
the Irish Rebellion of that year. The
United Irishmen chose green as their color, wearing it to show both their
affiliation with the group and their solidarity against British rule. This included the wearing of a shamrock.
Believe it or not, people could be
imprisoned and even hung for wearing the color green!!!
Meanwhile, many Irish immigrants were coming
to the United States, bringing their Irish traditions and the celebration of
St. Patrick's Day, with them. The first
St. Patrick's Day parade was held in New York in 1762. As the immigrant and Irish population grew in
America, so did the popularity of celebrating St. Patrick's Day every March
17th.
Although originally Catholics wore green and Protestants wore orange, green
eventually became the dominant color worn on St. Patrick's Day. It's a good thing too because if you aren't
wearing green on St. Patrick's Day, fairies and leprechauns can see you and
they will pinch you. Green also makes
you invisible to them!
We
human leprechauns and fairies continue this tradition to this day.
Since this is a couture fashion doll
blog, here are a few cool ways to wear green on St. Patrick's Day!
So deck yourself out in Green and join us at Couture Doll Shops starting March 14, and see what the designers are offering for you dollies to join in The Wearin' o' the Green!!!