St Patrick’s Day is Ireland’s biggest national holiday and represents a tribute to the country’s patron saint.

Its official date is March 17 when people all over the world can put on their green and join in celebrations.

In this article we are going to find out some of the other most loved traditions that occur on St Patrick’s Day and why they have become such important traditions every year.

Top 7 favourite St. Patrick’s Day traditions

1. The shamrock

The shamrock is a St. Patrick’s Day symbol that dates back to the 1700’s. St.Patrick used the three-leaved shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to Irish pagans.

Irish immigrants who moved to America in the 1700’s brought the symbol and image of the shamrock stateside as a way of paying tribute to their heritage. They are now the national flower of Ireland!

Wearing shamrocks isn’t the only thing you do with them to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. “Drowning the shamrock” is also considered good luck.

According to legends, Saint Patrick himself went to a bar one night and got a glass of whiskey that was half empty. The saint warned the bartender that the devil comes for the dishonest – obviously the bartender was freaked out, as so would I…

After that, the next time Saint Patrick visited the pub, everyone’s whiskey glasses were full (Got to love the Saint). And now, at closing time on St. Patrick’s night, shamrocks are dunked into the final glasses of whiskey as a toast to the Saint himself.

2. Irish Music

Loud, fun music is usually associated with St. Patrick’s Day and Irish culture in general. From ancient days of the Celtics, music has always been an important part of Irish culture.

This is because the Celtics had an musical way of life where religion, history and legend were passed down to generations by the means of storytelling and songs.

After being conquered by the English, the Irish were not allowed to speak their own language, Irish. And that is why they turned to music to help to keep their heritage and history alive through music.

3. The snake

Legend has it that during Saint Patrick’s adventure in Ireland, he once stood on a hilltop with only a wooden staff with which he banished all the snakes from Ireland.

However, Ireland has never been the home to any snakes. The banishing of snakes was simply a metaphor for the eradication of pagan ideology from the nation and the triumph of Christianity.

4. Corned beef

Corned beef and cabbage are actually more of an Irish American tradition than a purely Irish one. However, it is still a big tradition in most houses. Historically, Irish bacon, which is a form of cured pork, was actually the meat of choice for St. Patrick’s Day.

It wasn’t until the early 1900’s that Irish Americans in New York City began to eat corned beef instead because it was much more affordable.

5. Leprechauns

Their original name “lobarcin” means “small-bodied fellow”.

A leprechaun looks like a little old man and dresses like a shoemaker in all green clothes. Some legends believe that you can find a leprechaun if you follow the tap of their cobbler’s hammers.

They are fairy creatures who would pinch anyone they could see who not wearing green. The cheeky devils! According to the legend, the fairies pay the leprechauns for their work with golden coins, which is the reason they are said to have a pot of gold.

6. Going green

As we have learnt already, leprechauns were known for the colour green. And it is because of them why we wear green on St. Patrick’s Day. This is because they allegedly can’t see the colour green and wouldn’t be able to see you or pinch you if you’re rocking any shade of green. 

Since 1962 Chicago has coloured its river green to mark the holiday. In some places the beer is dyed green to celebrate the big day.

7. Staying sober

No, you’re not crazy, you read that right, no alcohol on St. Patrick’s Day!

This is a standard practice for more people than you realise. This is because St. Patrick’s Day is technically a religious holiday that falls within the time period of lent.

Therefore, making it a common tradition for a lot of Catholic celebrants to make this celebratory holiday a dry one.

Celebrate St Patrick’s day with the Irish lottery from the UK

The Irish Lotto offers the best opportunity for you to fulfil your lottery dreams on St Patrick’s Day. With Lottoland you can bet on the Irish Lotto online even if you are from the UK, allowing you to embrace the St Patricks Day fun!

A bet on the Irish Lotto only costs £2 and you can take 2 more chances to win for just £1 extra. Draws are every Wednesday and Saturday, and you can bet on the outcome and win all the same prizes at Lottoland.

The amin draw offers a minimum jackpot of at least £1.4 million with £ 900k available on the Plus 1 draw and £225k on the Plus 2 draw. That means you can take the chance to win 3 jackpots for just £3.

Will you walk into fortuity?

The odds of winning a prize on the Irish Lotto are just 1 in 29! On top of this the actual jackpot odds are just roughly 1 in 10 million. This is an extremely friendly odd, especially comparing I to the UK Lotto odds (1 in 45.6 million)!

Ultimately, winning the lottery is all about going the extra mile and to boost your odds of winning, you need a lottery that makes it easier for you. The Irish Lotto does just this by maximising your chances of winning with the lower odds and the chance to win 3 amazing jackpots! 

So, now that you know how to bet the Irish Lotto online from the UK, good luck with your bets and may your betting journey end with a pot of gold!  

P.S Just a little reminder – you must be 18 or over to register and Lottoland is not affiliated with the official Irish National Lottery or its operator Premier Lotteries Ireland. However, your chances and jackpot prizes remain the same, and you get to bet from the UK!

Good luck and happy St. Patrick’s Day!