Why do we wear green on Saint Patrick’s Day?
One of the main reasons we wear green on Saint Patrick’s Day is because of Ireland’s nickname, The Emerald Isle. The green stripe in the Irish flag also plays a role when it comes to making green such an important color around this holiday. Also in regards to the Irish flag, the green represents the Catholic Church of Ireland, the orange represents the Protestant population, and the white in the middle symbolizes the peace between the two religions.
The religious symbolism doesn’t stop there; Saint Patrick is thought to have used green shamrocks to teach people through symbolism about the Holy Trinity (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit). Each clover leaf representing one of each. This clover use was also another justification for “greenifying” everything.
Now that we’ve covered green, of course we can’t talk about Saint Patrick’s Day without mentioning those little leprechauns. Now way back in the day, these mischievous little fellas were said to have worn red and gold jackets with pointy red hats. Yet now, they are rarely seen in anything other than that good ole green. Legend has it that they’ll come out to pinch anyone not wearing their favorite color (green of course). Rude! But probably reason enough to mix green in your clothing today, even if it’s just your socks. Or if you’re feeling really into the spirit, you’re welcome to help dye the entire Chicago River green just to be thorough!
We found a fun hidden pot of gold brownie recipe we’d love for you to try!
Directly from Homes.com:
Fun Recipe:
“Pot of Gold Brownie Cups
FOR THE BROWNIE CUPS
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
FOR THE FROSTING
- 1 /2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
- green food coloring gel
- gold sprinkles, gold stars, or other edible gold decorations!
(Yields 24 brownie cups)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Melt ½ cup butter for brownie cups. Add to sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir with wooden spoon.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder until combined. Stir into wet ingredients with wooden spoon just until mixed. Do not beat or overmix.
- Scoop 2 teaspoon size amounts into a greased mini muffin pan (with each cavity about halfway full).
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until releasing from edges and a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
- Let cool and use back of a wooden spoon to push down brownie center for gold. Pour in gold sprinkles.
- In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, beat together butter and 2 cups powdered sugar. Add additional sugar 1 cup at a time. Add cream (or milk) and food coloring. Beat for 2-3 minutes on medium until light and fluffy.
- Using a piping bag and fluted tip, swirl on a dollop of frosting to each brownie cup to hide the gold surprise! Top with a shamrock decoration or sprinkles.
- Serve & Enjoy!”
Let us know your favorite green things to wear and how the brownies turned out in the comments below or on our social media. Tag us or use the hashtag #2415prop.
Happy Green Day!!
Sources:
St. Patrick’s Day: Origins, meaning & background – history. History of St. Patrick’s Day. Retrieved March 17, 2023, from https://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/history-of-st-patricks-day
Should we be wearing blue on St. Patrick’s day? Smithsonian.com. Retrieved March 17, 2023, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/should-st-patricks-day-be-blue-180954572/
Salova, M. (2017, February 28). Pot of gold brownie cups. Home Sweet Homes. Retrieved March 17, 2023, from https://www.homes.com/blog/2014/03/pot-of-gold-brownie-cups/
