Saint Patrick’s Day is a fun, magic-filled day for many kids, yet it has a deep historical context dating back to the 400s. On a day when people wear green to avoid being pinched by others and leprechauns, elementary students create traps to catch the leprechauns and the lucky four-leaf clover.

Saint Patrick’s Day originated from Saint Patrick, a man who lived during the fifth century and was kidnapped at the age of sixteen, then fled to Ireland, spreading Christianity throughout the country.

This holiday spread through Irish emigrants who came to the United States as a day to celebrate the Irish. Over time, certain traditions formed, like wearing green, the lucky four-leaf clover, and making leprechaun traps.

According to History.com, “One legend suggests that wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day makes the wearer invisible to leprechauns. The tiny red-bearded fairies of Irish folklore supposedly roam around pinching those who’ve chosen clothing of another hue.” This correlates with the idea that people who don’t wear green on Saint Patrick’s Day get pinched by others.

The other practice that formed was how the four-leaf clover signifies good luck. According to The Pearl Post, “Believed to be a Celtic charm, four-leaf clovers were used for magical protection from evil spirits and to repel bad luck.”

An entertaining activity for kids was making leprechaun traps to possibly catch the sneaky leprechauns that try to steal gold from others. When asked what his favorite leprechaun trap that he made in elementary school, Paolo DiGirolamo, a junior at CdM, stated, “So [I] put a little pot of gold in the back and there was this path that leads to [it]. But once the leprechaun would step on the path, the flow would break, and they’d fall in the hole.” Kalei Gonzalez, a junior at CdM, enthusiastically voiced, ” I didn’t think it was gonna work. And then when I made it, I was like this is weird. And then the next day, we come in, and the teacher is going crazy. Then I go in and my gold is gone. And I was like, oh my god, wait, is this real?”

Nevertheless, everyone has a different part they enjoy most about Saint Patrick’s Day. Gonzalez stated, “pinching the people who don’t wear green,” was her favorite part. DiGirolamo’s favorite part is, “Every year my mom does this little thing for my younger sisters where she makes you think that a leprechaun broke into our house and trashed the place… and that they made green pancakes for us.” Overall, that is the origin, traditions, and favorite parts of Saint Patrick’s Day.