Good & Perfect Gifts: St. Patrick's Day

Friday, March 10, 2017

The Reason We Wear Green On St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day isn't a holiday that is generally associated with fashion, but if you're expected to wear green, Good & Perfect Gifts thinks that this is a great excuse to pick up something new and fantastic to wear. If green isn't your color, you can always go with something small and inconspicuous. On the other hand, if you look good in it, go bold!

Our Lake of the Ozarks jewelry store is filled with all kinds of gorgeous baubles to wear, as well as many fashionable pieces of clothing. We have new items coming in every week, and there's always a good chance that something green will be among your choices.

Why Do We Wear Green On St. Patrick's Day

The tradition of wearing green on this particular holiday stems from a superstition popularized by Irish immigrants in the United States. They believed that the color green made you invisible to leprechauns, a type of fairy from Irish folklore that was terribly mischievous. If he could see you, he would pinch you! Therefore, green hides you from this abuse. When you pinch someone not wearing green, you are merely reminding them that the leprechauns are out there and could strike at any time!

An interesting fact is that before the 20th century, leprechauns were known for wearing red rather than the green that we always see them depicted in today. If you don't like wearing the color green, this could be a good argument for substituting red instead. Still, we suggest a small amount of green somewhere on you, just in case.

Ways To Add Green To Your Wardrobe
Putting on a beautiful green shirt is the easiest way to don the color for your St. Patrick's Day festivities. If you don't have a lot of that in your wardrobe and don't really want to add it with clothing, there are plenty of small accessories that you can keep in your closet to pull out once a year and wear.

Hats
Scarves
Jewelry
Socks
Nail Polish
Neckties

You Can Wear Shamrocks Too

If there are any leprechauns lurking about, we don't know if shamrocks will keep them from pinching you, but this symbol is also associated with St. Patrick's Day. You have most likely heard that finding a 4-leaf clover brings you good luck, but shamrocks that you will find growing on the ground have only three leaves.

Ireland's patron saint, St. Patrick, is the reason that this greenery is forever linked to the holiday. He used shamrocks that he found growing at his feet to teach Pagans about the Holy Trinity. Each leaf was given an aspect: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The leaves have also been tied to the three theological virtues found in first Corinthians 13:13: faith, love, and hope.

Irish folklore gives each leaf of the 4-leaf clover a different characteristic of luck. These include: respect, wealth, love, and health.

What Will You Wear?
If you find yourself in need of something green to wear this St. Patrick's Day, come in to our gift shop at the Lake of the Ozarks and browse the selections we have available this week. We should be able to find you a lovely piece of jewelry or a new charm that will work perfectly. While you are at Good & Perfect Gifts, there are lots of other wonderful things for you to take a look at too, in all kinds of colors.

A popular destination gift shop near the

Lake of the Ozarks

1603 Business Hwy 54,

Eldon, Missouri 65026

573-392-7900

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Friday, March 11, 2016

10 Interesting St. Patrick's Day Facts

March is known for bringing along with it spring, occasionally Easter (unless it's in April), and St. Patrick's Day. The latter is happening next week on March 17, but the lake area will be celebrating it early. This Saturday, March 12 is the annual St. Patrick's Day parade on the Bagnell Dam Strip at 1:00 pm.

All of us here at Good & Perfect Gifts thought that it would be fun to look up a few interesting facts about some of the traditions that are associated with this holiday. Here are a few that we discovered.

1. March 17 is not he birth of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, but the day that he died in 461 AD.

2. St. Patrick wasn't actually Irish. His parents were Roman citizens living in England at the end of the 4th century AD. As a teenager, he was taken by slavers to Ireland.

3. His color was blue, not green. Some say that we now associate the color green with this holiday because Ireland is know as the "Emerald Isle" and because of St. Patrick's teachings using a clover.

4. He used the shamrock to represent the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, & the Holy Ghost. People also say that the three leaves of a clover stand for "faith, hope, & love". If you find a 4-leaf clover, this last leaf is for "luck."

5. For every 10,000 3-leaf clovers on the planet, there is only one 4-leaf clover to be found.

6. The phrase "Luck of the Irish" came about because Ireland is said to contain more 4-leaf clovers than any other place.

7. The Guinness Book of World Records lists the clover with the most leaves as having 14.

8. You are expected to wear green on St. Patrick's Day because it is supposed to make you invisible to leprechauns. These tricky fairy creatures were said to sneak up and pinch anyone that they could see. This is how the tradition of pinching people that don't wear green on the holiday came about, to warn them about the leprechauns!

9. The earliest known reference of a leprechaun appeared in "Adventure of Fergus, Son of Leti," a medieval tale.

10. Before the 20th century, leprechauns were depicted as wearing red rather than the green we see them in today.

If you are needing a touch of green for your own wardrobe, visit our Lake of the Ozarks jewelry store and browse the vast selection of beautiful pieces that we carry. You are sure to find something stunning to take home to keep your friends from pinching you.

For all of your fashion, home decor, and gift needs, we've got what you are looking for at Good & Perfect Gifts in Eldon. Have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day, and next we will all anxiously count down the days until spring is here!