St. Patrick's Day Blue???

[Catdad]

I'll ask the question in this section, and if it the moderators want to move it elsewhere that would be more appropriate, I'm good with that.

On my drive to work this morning, I heard the question, "What the was the original color for St. Patrick's day?" The DJs mentioned it was not green. The correct answer was eventually given as blue. My question is, why and what is the significance of the color?

[creagdhubh]

Yes, that is correct. Read below:

Blue not green is the colour originally associated with St Patrick. “St Patrick’s Blue” is used on Ireland's Presidential Standard or flag, while the Irish Guards sport a plume of St Patrick’s blue in their bearskins. The emphasis on green is thought to be linked to “wearing the Green”, a symbol from the 18th century on, of sympathy with Irish independence.

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 wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous 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.

Cheers,