GET YOUR GREEN ON!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!  I hope you get your green on so you don't get pinched today.  Where in the world did all that come from?  It has a lot to do with politics and leprechauns.

The history of wearing green is connected to a series of revolutions that took place in Ireland in opposition to the English Crown.  We understand that, right?  Interestingly enough, BEFORE the revolution, light blue was the color of Ireland and St. Patrick.

Chicago would have to spend less money dying it's river BLUE instead of GREEN if that was still the case.  To make it even more confusing, if you were Catholic, you wore green.  If you were protestant, you wore orange.  It seems they couldn't decide on the color of revolution, but in general, green meant independence.

Going back even further, the REAL reason you wear green is because it makes you invisible to leprechauns.  You weren't aware of that??  If you do NOT wear green, they will be able to see you and thereafter, PINCH you just as a reminder they are there.  In my younger days, I didn't mind getting pinched at ALL!!

When I was working for a living, our County offices had a St. Patrick's Day luncheon.  No green beer, but they did have green punch.  I thought how funny it would be to have a huge bowl of green potato salad.  I worked all night and made my best version, throwing in a few drops of green food coloring into the mayonnaise dressing.  It was gorgeous if I do say so myself.  I thought THIS is going to be fun!  

Not so much fun after all.  Even though I KNEW it was regular potato salad, my brain couldn't get past the green color.  It kept expecting a different flavor.  I wasn't the only one either.  It seems no one could get past the vibrant green color so no one ate it.  I was stuck with green salad for about seven days that I had to eat with my eyes closed.  I'm pretty sure the last of it was buried in the cemetery.

So wear green of some kind or other so you are invisible and have a little green beer along with some corned beef and cabbage.  Let's help the Irish celebrate their independence!!