3 St. Patrick’s Day Questions Answered

We all know that the green Chicago River represents St. Patrick's Day in our city, but I have some questions about the holiday's other popular symbols.

  1. Are leprechauns real?
  2. Where can you find four-leaf clovers?
  3. What forms a rainbow?

Are leprechauns real? Irish tales describe leprechauns as imaginary wee folk that guard pots of gold, but I swear I saw one hiding in my backyard the other day. Hmm. Although the official answer is that they're not real, read Leprechauns and Irish Folklore to decide for yourself.

Where can you find four-leaf clovers? According to one source, if you hunt for a four-leaf clover you only have a 1 in 10,000 chance of finding one. So maybe the easiest place to find a four-leaf clover is in a box of Lucky Charms. The shamrock, an iconic Irish plant, is much more common. You can learn more about it in Shamrocks, Harps, and Shillelaghs.

What forms a rainbow? World Book explains that rainbows appear when raindrops are illuminated by sunlight. Our favorite monkey explores this process in Curious George Discovers the Rainbow. Sadly, no one has uncovered a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow yet. Maybe you'll be the first one to find the treasure.

You can search for more answers to these questions in books like St. Patrick's Day (for younger readers) or St. Patrick's Day (for older readers). Just looking for something fun to read? Get your green on with one of our recommended reads.

St. Patrick's Day by Gail Gibbons is also available as a downloadable video

And don't forget to celebrate at the Chicago parade at noon Saturday, March 12.