While the celebrations will be a bit toned down this year, St. Patrick’s Day is still a great time to bond with family and friends. So, grab your corned beef and cabbage and your pint of Guinness and have a look at a few things you might not know about St. Patrick’s Day.

“St. Paddy’s Day started as a religious celebration in the 17th century to commemorate the life of Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. This “Feast Day” always took place on the anniversary of Patrick’s death, which was believed to be March 17, 461 AD.”

“Saint Patrick, who lived during the fifth century, is the patron saint of Ireland and its national apostle. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people.”

“Boston held its first St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1737, followed by New York City in 1762. Since 1962 Chicago has colored its river green to mark the holiday.”

“Corn beef and cabbage: This is an Irish American dish. Irish Americans were so poor they could not afford certain meals. On St. Patrick's Day, the best meal they could afford was beef and cabbage. It became a staple for the holiday.”

“New York City's St. Patrick's Day Parade is one of the world's largest parades. Since 1762, roughly 250,000 marchers have traipsed up 5th Avenue on foot—the parade still doesn't allow floats, cars, or other modern trappings.”

“The world's shortest St. Patrick's Day parade is held in the Irish village of Dripsey. It lasts only 100 yards, spanning the distance between the village's two pubs.”

“According to Irish legend, Saint Patrick used the shamrock as a metaphor for the Holy Trinity when he was first introducing Christianity to Ireland.”

“It is also believed St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland. However, post-glacial Ireland never actually had snakes. Many believe that the term “snakes” referred to the serpent symbolism of the Druids of that time and place. Today, there are no snakes to be found!”

“For many years, blue was the color most often associated with St. Patrick. Green was considered unlucky. St. Patrick's blue was considered symbolic of Ireland for many centuries and the Irish Presidential Standard is still blue.”

“It turns out that the holiday's rep for booze-soaked debauchery is, in large part, earned. St. Patrick's Day is the #4 biggest drinking day of the year in America. New Year's Eve tops the list, with Christmas and July 4 coming in as close runners-up.”

Happy St. Patrick's Day From Winn Technology Group!